Is the clock ticking on Roberto De Zerbi’s Marseille tenure?

Roberto De Zerbi’s future as Marseille head coach is shrouded in uncertainty after the Italian was forced to deny rumours that he tendered his resignation following the club’s Champions League exit.

De Zerbi cut a disconsolate figure following a 3-0 defeat at Club Brugge on Wednesday that put paid to Marseille’s ambitions of advancing beyond the league phase.

On a harrowing night for the Ligue 1 club, they appeared to have scraped into a play-off round – and were even congratulated by their Belgian hosts on the Jan Breydel Stadium’s big screen – only to be eliminated by Benfica’s dramatic late goal against Real Madrid, which put José Mourinho’s side through at Marseille’s expense. 

De Zerbi’s trademark pugnacity gave way to introspection in the aftermath, with the 46-year-old muttering darkly of the need to “do some soul-searching”. On Thursday he failed to take charge of a planned training session at Clairefontaine, where Marseille are preparing for this weekend’s Ligue 1 meeting with Paris FC, sparking rumours he had tendered his resignation.

Roberto De Zerbi denies tendering his resignation as Marseille head coach

De Zerbi, whose absence Marseille initially attributed to illness, denied he had asked to leave the club when approached by L’Equipe on Thursday night. Yet there remains a sense of precariousness around whether the Italian will remain at the club he guided to second place in Ligue 1 last term. 

On the one hand, it could all be a storm in a teacup. De Zerbi is a famously volatile character with a track record of becoming distant at difficult moments. As an unnamed dressing room source told L’Equipe: “When he’s angry, he withdraws.”  

Equally, the Italian has been linked with Manchester United and Tottenham, and would have no shortage of suitors in Serie A and beyond should he become available.

Marseille president: ‘I would like Roberto to be like Simeone’

With Marseille third in Ligue 1 and scheduled to face Rennes in the last 16 of the Coupe de France next week, there appears little appetite for change among the club hierarchy.

Marseille president Pablo Longoria has described De Zerbi as “a genius” and expressed optimism he would remain at the Stade Vélodrome to create a legacy comparable to that of Diego Simeone, who has been at Atlético Madrid for 15 years.

“I would be more than happy if Roberto stays for a long period,” Longoria said this week. “I would like Roberto to be like Simeone at Atlético.” 

Even Marseille director Medhi Benatia, who aimed a bitter diatribe at the squad following the Brugge defeat, stopped short of laying blame for the loss at De Zerbi’s door.

“When you have this kind of disgusting, horrible defeat, people tend to blame the coach,” said Benatia. “But I attend the talks. All week, we knew they were going to attack hard, that they would start strong. If there’s a player in the box and four of us are watching him, is that the coach’s fault? No, it’s not the coach’s fault. I really hope some of the players will do some soul-searching.”

Whatever happens next, De Zerbi surely will.