Paris Saint-Germain and Olympique de Marseille faced off this Sunday at the Parc des Princes for the 25th day of Ligue 1 2024-2025. The match ended in a 3-1 Parisian victory (video highlights PSG/OM). After the match, Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi spoke at a press conference.
De Zerbi: “I’m going home sad because we took 3 stupid goals.
Any regrets, particularly about the second half?
Yes, even in the first half, when we conceded 2 goals. The first came from a very simple situation. It’s very easy to read… We also had chances. I have the feeling that we had opportunities to score. But once the game was back on track, we scored against our own goal, so it’s obviously a shame.
You can lose to PSG, especially at the moment, who are perhaps the strongest team in Europe. Before, they had strong players, but the team was missing. Now they have strong players and a coach who has built a real, united team. It’s hard to play against them.
But I’m going home sad because we took 3 stupid goals that we could have avoided. I’m going to have nightmares about the first one.
Satisfied with the state of mind? Why is Rabiot captain?
Rabiot as captain, because when someone is in difficulty, the others have to unite and support him. I spoke to Balerdi and he agreed straight away. The same goes for the experienced players. As he was whistled at by the whole stadium, I think it was only right that he should have the armband. It’s an incentive.
As for the state of mind, in the first leg I’d only been here a few months and we didn’t play with the personality you’d expect. But to be like that, PSG needed time and very strong players. To get here and play a match like that, we needed time. To do even better, if we can, we’ll need more time.
Does this match give us any certainties for the future, for 2nd place?
There are still 8 games to go. And this championship has taught us that it’s hard to take points against anyone, for any team. We really have to make the effort. We knew we wouldn’t qualify with several games to go. There are still a lot of games to play. But we deserve this second place.
De Zerbi “that’s not the reality of this confrontation.”
Your best game of the season tonight?
No, it’s not the best. We’ve had better games. Today, we had 3 absentees and those who played did well. After that, PSG’s level makes you think that tonight was a very good one. You call this match a Classico, but it’s not a Classico for me.
And do you know why? You can’t compare the economic strength of the two clubs. I always fight, whatever the battle, but what is the Classico? It’s when there really is a fight. I’m a bit crazy, I don’t mind pressure, but I’m honest, that’s not the reality of this confrontation.
I’ve always said that OM is the most important club in France, and I still say that. When I was a kid, OM was at the top, not Paris.
A word about the atmosphere and the welcome for Rabiot?
It’s normal for Rabiot, as you’d expect when a player goes to a rival club. I liked the stadium. But from my point of view, the Vélodrome is another level up.
