In the first round of the UEFA Champions League group stage, Marseille lost 1-2 to Real Madrid at the latter’s home ground. After the match, Marseille manager Roberto De Zerbi criticized the referee’s decisions while also praising the players for their progress.
The defeat against Real Madrid is disappointing—what’s your feeling about it?
I’m disappointed that we couldn’t get a better result. It’s true we lost, but I’m proud of the team because they played a good game and gave everything they had.
We have a lot of new signings in the squad, and some players have played two games in less than a week. There were many positive aspects in the match, but it’s not easy for them to develop chemistry right away. We looked a bit too tentative at the start.
What do you think about the second penalty awarded to Real Madrid?
It was unfair and shameful. I would say that even if the decision had gone in our favor. When I say this penalty is a disgrace, I’m not implying it was to compensate Real Madrid for Carvajal being sent off—I definitely don’t want to bring that up.
Let’s talk about Carvajal’s red card.
In a situation like that head-on collision, showing a straight red card is a bit too harsh. He didn’t make a forceful challenge; it was just a slight lean... But the rules are the rules. If someone leans in like that without making a real tackle, I wouldn’t show a red card—that’s just my personal view, because I don’t think that was an act of violence.
Does this make you regret anything?
After Carvajal was sent off (in the 72nd minute, seven minutes before the second penalty was awarded), we could have taken more risks. I wanted to see more—a different attitude, more courage. But it’s only September, and the season will go on until next May.
We leave here with the understanding that games like this need to become the norm. When we get used to playing here—whether it’s me, the players, or the fans—it might have a different impact.
I’m glad we’re facing Paris Saint-Germain next soon. Because playing against teams like Real Madrid or Paris Saint-Germain is exactly what this squad needs to reach a higher level, especially in terms of mentality and ambition. Only then can we judge whether we’ll have a great team in the future.
Are you more confident about the upcoming games?
To conclude, I have a very strong team, but today, for various reasons, they didn’t perform at their best.
Tonight, we chose to leave more space between the lines rather than in the deeper areas. We will work together to take Marseille to a higher level. This team has great quality, and I like my players’ ability, their mindset, and their potential.
To know what we can achieve this year, we need to understand many things—including how to integrate the team and what level of competitiveness we can reach. Right now, we are still far from the target I have in mind.
