Roberto De Zerbi threatens to QUIT Marseille in furious rant - 'I'm ready to leave'
Marseille have started to falter after an impressive start to the Ligue 1 campaign and manager Roberto De Zerbi, who left Brighton at the end of last season, is already prepared to resign
by Nathan Ridley · The MirrorFormer Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi has threatened to QUIT Marseille after just five months in charge.
Marseille started the season strongly but have now lost three of their last six games. Although the French giants are still second in the Ligue 1 table, six points behind Paris Saint-Germain having played one game more, De Zerbi stunningly declared that he's ready to leave following Friday's 3-1 defeat at home to Auxerre.
Marseille found themselves 3-0 down at half-time before ex-Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood pulled a goal back in the second half. Greenwood was among a host of players who De Zerbi brought in from the Premier League this summer, having left Brighton at the end of last season amid suggestions of a fallout with Seagulls owner Tony Bloom.
Now the Italian, who spoke to United about becoming their manager before joining Marseille in June, has threatened to walk out on another club. In a remarkable post-match press conference, De Zerbi claimed: "I have to take responsibility for this home defeat. We have difficulties at home, that's clear. I don't know if it's a lack of courage or personality.
"I came here to play at the Velodrome because I wanted to live the experience. If the problem is me, I'm ready to leave. I'm leaving without the money, I don't care about the rest. I don't want to make excuses and talk nonsense. I'm not going to escape, we have to face reality. That's what I have to do.
"Playing at the Velodrome is a privilege. I have to transfer my passion for football to the players. At PSG, we played with ten men, it's true. But what I saw with 11 against 11 did not please me. There are performances that are not good at home. Away, we have had good performances, in Toulouse, Montpellier, Nantes."
Marseille are aiming to qualify for the Champions League by achieving a top-four finish, but De Zerbi's ambitions extend beyond where they end up in league table. "We can't talk about this second place. I have to be able to give, to transmit something. I live for things that transcend football," the 45-year-old explained.
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"I repeat, if I'm the problem, I have to leave. Money is nothing to me. It's the gratification of the work that is important. I don't have bad things to say about my players. If I leave, I leave my heart, my soul."
Due to the international break, Marseille aren't back in action until they travel to face eight-placed Lens on Saturday, November 23. The south of France side will be relieved to be playing on the road after losing back-to-back home games, including a 3-0 defeat to PSG after being reduced to 10 men.
Greenwood is the team's top goalscorer, netting eight in 11 league games after leaving United for £26.7million. Former Tottenham midfielder Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is a starter and ex-Brighton, Everton and Brentford forward Neal Maupay has been leading the line.
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