Roberto De Zerbi calls on Marseille to ‘play better’ ahead of Champions League clash | OneFootball

Marseille could take one step closer to the Champions League knockout stages tomorrow night as they face Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise. After dropping points in two consecutive league matches, Les Phocéens are looking to bounce back with another victory on the continental stage, two weeks on from a statement win against Newcastle. 

“We don’t have the time to dwell on results,” head coach Roberto De Zerbi explained in his pre-match press conference. “We know it’s going to be an important match, it can allow us to move on from the Lille performance, which might have been the worst since my arrival.”

“I’m not happy with the quality of our play,” the Italian continued. “I’d like us to play better, we’ve had strong spells during matches but not over the course of an entire match. The absences of Hamed Traoré and Amine Gouiri have an impact, because now we don’t have a number 10.”

Marseille’s injury issues, De Zerbi, explained, have had both a physical and mental toll on the team. “It’s not easy to make changes, we have to keep an eye on the mental energy. Playing every three games is difficult, it’s a challenge we have to accept. We have to play well in every match.”

GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin – reporting from Lotto Park, Anderlecht