Rebellion, ritiros & Waddle - 'Ultra' De Zerbi's year at Marseille

"When I was aged 13-14, successful nan AC Milan younker academy, my coach told maine to commencement pursuing Marseille and Chris Waddle," Roberto de Zerbi discreetly disclosed aft nan French side's last crippled of nan season.

"That's erstwhile I fell successful emotion pinch Marseille. I started pursuing nan nine because of Waddle." The England winger would triumph 3 Ligue 1 titles pinch Les Phoceens and thief them scope nan 1991 European Cup final.

De Zerbi's revelation followed a play afloat of lively - and astatine times fiery - news conferences astatine nan Velodrome and nan La Commanderie training ground. The Italian recovered successful France's oldest metropolis thing that mirrored his past and his ain temperament.

"The metropolis of Marseille and nan nine of Marseille are akin to maine successful a way. I was looking for an situation that could make maine dream," said nan erstwhile Brighton leader successful early February.

De Zerbi is simply a earthy fresh for nan power astatine Olympique de Marseille. His shot demands conviction, and truthful does nan city. As section writer Jean-Claude Izzo erstwhile wrote: "Here, you person to return sides. Be passionate. Be for, beryllium against. Just be, intensely."

At nan extremity of nan play nan Italian was caught up successful jubilant celebrations, waving a flare pinch supporters that had greeted nan Marseille squad astatine 4am astatine Provence Airport. "I was calved an ultra," De Zerbi exclaimed to DAZN only weeks before.

It was not a title triumph - but finishing 2nd successful Ligue 1 and qualifying for nan Champions League felt nevertheless dramatic.

The assignment of nan passionate Italian was viewed arsenic an "impossible dream" by nine president Pablo Longoria erstwhile he made a telephone past summertime aft De Zerbi departed Brighton.

That dream teetered connected nan separator of chaos respective times this season, testing nan tactical and affectional limits of 1 of nan astir promising coaches of nan past decade.

"Marseille has ever been nan larboard of exiles... Here, anyone who arrives 1 time astatine nan larboard is inevitably astatine home," Izzo besides wrote astir Marseille.

After an eighth-placed decorativeness past season, nan nine kicked disconnected a extremist overhaul - welcoming an eclectic postulation of misfits and knowledgeable players attracted by De Zerbi's caller project. Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Neal Maupay and Adrien Rabiot each arrived citing De Zerbi arsenic a factor.

English brace Jonathan Rowe and Mason Greenwood joined nan Anglophone contingent astatine nan nine on pinch Canada world Derek Cornelius.

"The large quality was Roberto de Zerbi calling maine retired of nan blue. I was a spot taken aback by it because it's nan first clip a head has gone retired of his measurement to telephone maine and opportunity he wants me," erstwhile Norwich winger Rowe told BBC Sport.

"The coach has been a spot much intricate pinch nan details: your assemblage shape, really you spell into games, really you deliberation and enactment focused successful a game. There's a batch of accusation to return in."

"He's very demanding, 1 of nan champion coaches successful nan world. He's 1 of nan reasons why I came here," added Greenwood earlier nan last crippled of nan season. "We person a awesome narration and he puts maine successful nan champion position truthful that I tin definitive myself.

"We've besides had to study erstwhile to beryllium patient, erstwhile to play a spot quicker erstwhile we person a batch of nan shot and break down defences. So he's taught maine a batch astir really to play my game."

Greenwood joined nan nine from Manchester United past summertime successful a woody worthy up to 31.6m euros (£26.6m). Serious charges against him, including attempted rape and assault, were dropped successful February 2023.

"We took nan determination internally. OK, location was immoderate opposition, that was objective," said Marseille nine president Longoria successful September. "But astatine nan aforesaid clip that gave america powerfulness to possibly not investigate, because I'm not a judge, but to usage each nan accusation to make nan champion decision, which I deliberation we did."

Greenwood scored doubly connected his Ligue 1 debut successful a 5-1 triumph complete Brest and went connected to decorativeness pinch 21 goals, breaking nan grounds of nan astir goals successful a debut play for a Marseille subordinate successful nan 21st century, up of Bafetimbi Gomis (20) and Didier Drogba (19).

His goals won 16 further points for nan nine - nan highest of immoderate subordinate successful Ligue 1 this season, according to Opta.

Marseille's expertise for attacking explosivity connected nan transportation nether De Zerbi was abundant from nan commencement of nan season. Les Olympiens collapsed respective goalscoring and possession records, scoring 74 goals successful 34 games this season, pinch only an all-conquering Paris St-Germain broadside netting much successful Ligue 1.

Yet aft a tally of 5 losses successful 7 games, nan play would return a move for nan surreal. Following conclusion by Reims successful March, a study from French newspaper L'Equipe alluded to tensions arising betwixt De Zerbi and his players - going arsenic acold to propose a 'mutiny' had taken place.

De Zerbi deed back: "Some group made maine retired to beryllium a criminal. It's not fair. I'm a bully person. My mum called maine this greeting and asked: 'What did you do?'"

"There is nary rift betwixt us," claimed erstwhile Brentford and Brighton striker Maupay during nan aforesaid news conference. "He is truthful passionate and committed... In families aliases couples, you person to beryllium capable to talk things through."

After concerns astir nan squad environment, De Zerbi - on pinch Longoria and sporting head Medhi Benatia - made nan corporate determination to return nan squad connected a training retreat to Rome.

OM had been connected a squad bonding campy pursuing a conclusion earlier successful nan play by Auxerre, but this 'ritiro' - often a believe for Serie A teams - progressive nan team's 50-man sporting cognition moving to nan outskirts of nan Italian superior precocious successful nan season.

"We've thought pinch nan nine astir doing everything we tin to scope our objective," said De Zerbi. "It's not a reward - it's simply to thief nan squad reconnect. The players agreed. It won't alteration their lives, but it could alteration their careers."

As nan world turned its eyes to Rome pursuing nan decease of Pope Francis, Marseille recovered a benignant of rebirth of their ain successful nan Eternal City. De Zerbi visited nan Vatican pinch nine representatives to salary his respects - earlier attraction switched backmost to Champions League qualification.

Ping-pong, rooftop barbecues and activity connected nan training pitch, distant from nan prying eyes of La Commanderie, ended up being what was needed to make nan quality successful nan last games of nan season.

"I had nan pleasance of celebrating my day location - I had ne'er been to Italy before," smiled Rowe. "We really managed to create amended cohesion and go much united."

Sixteen goals successful nan last 5 games of nan play earned large wins complete Brest and Montpellier, pinch a triumph astatine Le Havre sparking scenes of celebration. A merchandise of hostility arsenic De Zerbi, his players and unit each flooded nan distant section.

"I judge this is much than a miracle," nan Italian said afterwards.

"We spent clip together, had meal together. We trained less, but we worked a batch connected unity and it showed connected nan pitch; it's a family.

"It's not existent that nan players were against me; that wounded me. There was ne'er immoderate mutiny."

The first enactment of nan De Zerbi communicative astatine Marseille has proved to beryllium a whirlwind that has reached a satisfactory conclusion for each parties: Champions League qualification.

"I emotion conflict, I emotion controversy. I deliberation it's portion of shot and portion of this club's DNA. You can't alteration that," said Longoria astatine his end-of-season news conference.

"With Roberto, we started a rhythm that we group retired successful a three-year contract. I deliberation we're successful a bully place.

"We want to find continuity, fto nan adrenaline that is associated pinch this nine dice down."

After a acme held successful nan US, Marseille confirmed nan committedness betwixt Longoria, De Zerbi, Benatia and American proprietor Frank McCourt to proceed moving together.

And truthful location will beryllium a 2nd enactment to De Zerbi's odyssey successful nan southbound of France, 1 that will spot nan coach compete successful Europe's elite title for nan first clip since his tenure astatine Shakhtar Donetsk successful 2021.

More than 30 years aft first falling for nan OM of Waddle, it will beryllium nan Italian's move to effort to re-energise Marseille's proud European heritage.