Marseille tensions: dressing-room row, De Zerbi vents after Rennes loss | OneFootball

Marseille's season started off on the wrong foot. On the first day of Ligue 1, Roberto De Zerbi's team fell to Rennes (1-0, goal by Blas assisted by former player Merlin) and the post-match turned into a heated confrontation in the locker room.

Olympique Marseille, tensions sky-high: locker room clash and De Zerbi's outburst after the defeat to Rennes

A scene that could end up directly in the new series dedicated to the club, following the media success achieved with the docuseries on the past season, writes Gazzetta.

Rabiot-Rowe clash, brawl narrowly avoided

According to the French press, tension erupted between Adrien Rabiot and the Englishman Rowe, at the center of a fierce argument. The former Juventus player reportedly reprimanded his teammates for their lack of determination, receiving a sharp response from the offensive winger, who has recently been linked to Atalanta. The face-to-face escalated, with insults and mutual accusations, almost leading to a physical confrontation.

De Zerbi had to intervene to separate the two and restore calm.

De Zerbi's outburst

The Italian coach, disappointed with his team's performance, took the opportunity to send a clear message to the group:

“You all have courage and character in the locker room. But I want to see it on the field, not in here.”

A direct call, emphasizing that character and personality should emerge during the 90 minutes, not just behind closed doors.

Goals and expectations

Marseille approached the first day with the strength of an encouraging preparation, with three wins and three draws, including a prestigious victory against Aston Villa. Additionally, the club has already invested around 60 million euros in the market to build a competitive squad, aiming to improve on last season's second place and perform well in the Champions League.

The defeat to Rennes is therefore an unexpected misstep, which has revealed internal nervousness and fragility. For De Zerbi, however, it could also serve as a useful wake-up call to strengthen team spirit.

A season under the spotlight

With the sports and media project accompanying Marseille, every episode – on and off the field – risks becoming part of the narrative. The clash in Rennes, with the locker room dispute and the coach's outburst, is no exception. De Zerbi will now have to bring the environment back together, preventing the first cracks from compromising the start of a season with great ambitions.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.