OL-OM: Press conference

Roberto De Zerbi: ‘I'm only focusing on Lyon.’

The state of the troops before OL-OM

Medina and Kondogbia are not ready, Harit has returned. Everything is fine for the other players.

The Adrien Rabiot case

I advised him to go to the club and apologise for his actions in Rennes. Because of the people around him, his words were blown out of proportion. That's the only advice I gave him. I don't want to change people. It's a problem with Adrien's entourage. I'm focusing on my relationship with Adrien, not his entourage. He didn't follow my advice. Now it's between him and the club.

The Champions League draw

We don't have the experience as a team to say whether the draw is good or not. What matters is what we produce on the pitch. I'm only thinking about Lyon. We'll see how many minutes Traoré has in his legs, if Nadir can start, which of the three at the back can play. I'm only focusing on the match against Lyon.

Hamed Junior Traoré

We thought of him very quickly this summer. He has already played in France, he has already played with me, he can play several positions in attack, winger, striker, on the right wing. He's an extra player who can help us.

Defence

The tactical instructions may not be working. We simply have to improve. I didn't like the performance against PFC. We have to keep the ball better and be more courageous. We were able to play like that against Aston Villa, who are stronger than PFC. We have to be able to do it again. We conceded ugly goals against Paris FC.

The attacking midfield position

I have confidence in the club, in Medhi, in Pablo Longoria. They're doing a great job. You'll have to ask the club.

Adrien Rabiot

It's up to you to decide. I'll leave it to you to interpret my words.

The team's mental state

We're fine, we feel good. We were disappointed after Paris because we didn't play well, but we won. In the first week, we were disappointed with what happened with two teammates being sidelined. There was disappointment, the situation deteriorated, but not because of us. If we are willing to take a step back with humility, then things can be rebuilt. When I talked about reaching out, I was talking to Adrien. I knew that Pablo and Medhi agreed. I'm not doing anything against the club.

Adrien Rabiot

I haven't spoken to him. I mustn't be disappointed, I have to be the OM coach. I mustn't be mean or nice.

OL-OM

The focus is clear, it's on Lyon. We played a great game there. Our supporters will always remember it. We have to respect Lyon, they have a great coach, they lost players and recruited well. They have more points than us, so we'll have to play a great game to win.

Geronimo Rulli

He's a sensitive lad, he's suffered, both he and Balerdi. He's an exceptional player, he was very, very good last season. He can work miracles like he did last year.

Defensive coverage

Yes, we've also studied Paris's weaknesses. We've conceded five goals, we need to improve. It's annoying to concede goals in simple situations where we didn't do what we were supposed to do. There are situations that change, the quality of the opponent. We can't prepare for every situation in a match. Against Rennes, we made two mistakes. Against Paris, there was a marking error in midfield. On the second goal, the line wasn't well aligned, Balerdi was a little too far back and he's the one who commands the line, so it was the others who made the mistake. We play to try to close the gaps between the lines. We leave space behind us but we gain possession. Last season we conceded some stupid goals. When we concede a goal, we know why and how we conceded it. We sometimes vary a little too much in two situations: at the end of the match when we're tired and when the situation is uncertain. As a result, we don't make the right decisions. We need to improve on that.

Legendary teams in the Champions League

We're happy to be playing in the Champions League; we've earned it with our performances on the pitch. We're going to try to be competitive, in the right way. But that will come later; first, it's Lyon.

Bilal Nadir

He had a big impact; he changed the game. He had a shoulder problem last month, which is why he wasn't playing. He's always played very well; he played some important games last season. He's part of Marseille's heritage, like Bakola and Vaz. I want to give them importance, even if they're only 18. I try to give him attention so that he can express himself.

Adrien Rabiot and the club's image

I don't know. The team suffers when everyone does what they want. The club wanted to enforce the rules. The words weren't too strong on the Marseille side. The decision was temporary because the situation was recoverable. We need to talk to the club, I'm the coach. I have to have a certain voice in the dressing room.