De Zerbi welcomes training-ground clash: ‘I would pay for my players to argue on the pitch’ | OneFootball

Roberto De Zerbi has played down reports of a heated exchange between Geoffrey Kondogbia and Arthur Vermeeren at Olympique de Marseille training, insisting that such moments are a positive sign during a difficult period for the club.

OM are enduring a turbulent run of form after last week’s 3-0 defeat away to Club Brugge, which sealed their elimination from the UEFA Champions League. Any sense of recovery was short-lived, as Marseille conceded a late equaliser in a damaging 2-2 draw away to Paris FC in Ligue 1, leaving tensions running high within the squad.

As revealed by La Provence, Kondogbia and Vermeeren were involved in a verbal altercation during Sunday’s training session at La Commanderie. Rather than deflecting or downplaying the incident, De Zerbi confirmed it outright when speaking to the press on Monday, on the eve of Marseille’s Coupe de France round-of-16 tie against Rennes.

“They argued on the pitch, they went head-to-head” said the Italian coach. “And I’d like that to happen every day on the pitch. I would pay for that.”

De Zerbi was keen to draw a clear distinction between confrontations during play and conflicts away from it, referencing an earlier dressing-room incident at Rennes this season involving Adrien Rabiot.

“On the pitch, it’s one thing. Half an hour later, it’s something else,” he explained. “There can be animated exchanges during a match or in training – that’s normal. Because of that, I didn’t intervene.”

With the Vélodrome expected to be volatile on Tuesday evening, De Zerbi believes intensity and emotional engagement will be essential if his side are to respond to recent setbacks.

Marseille host Rennes on Tuesday night (21:10 CET) with a place in the Coupe de France quarter-finals at stake, as De Zerbi’s side look to channel internal frustration into a performance capable of reigniting their season.GFFN | George Boxall