‘I have to be more of a psychologist than a coach’ – Roberto De Zerbi on Marseille’s flailing mentality | OneFootball

Speaking at a press conference following Olympique de Marseille’s 2-0 home loss to FC Nantes, manager Roberto De Zerbi spoke about his side’s mentality after admitting that his players “weren’t hungry enough.”“What can I do?” said De Zerbi during his post-match press conference. “If we can’t see the symptoms beforehand, how can we predict the future?”Les Phocéens went down to nine men in the second half against Nantes on Sunday afternoon, following red cards to Belgian midfielder Arthur Vermeeren and his replacement Bilal Nadir. OM were chasing Nantes’ lead scored by Fabian Centonze, before a revenant Rémy Cabella secured all three points for the away side after converting a penalty late on.“I’d like to understand why, here in Marseille, we systematically experience these rollercoaster rides, these ups and downs. This is my 12th season as a coach, but today you have to be more of a psychologist than a coach.”“For example, Vermeeren had a bad week, so I called him into my office on Saturday, but I told him that I had confidence in him and that I was going to start him even though he hadn’t trained well. He thanked me. But I didn’t expect this performance.”“If the whole team is like this, my staff must sense it. I don’t feel guilty because I always give my all, but I’m going home hurt that we lost the match this way. We weren’t hungry enough…”Marseille now sit eight points behind Lens, who lead Ligue 1 with 40 points – with PSG sat in second with 36 points and set to face city neighbours Paris FC. Les Olympiens and Les Parisiens face-off next week in the Trophée des Champions in Kuwait. GFFN | George Boxall