Before Brest’s reception, Roberto De Zerbi presented himself at a press conference for about 20 minutes. The OM coach returned to the internship in Rome, the shape of his team, and the goals of the end of the season.
De Zerbi stressed the importance of the internship to strengthen cohesion: “We worked. We spent a little more time together, there is no secret, I feel good in Marseilles. Given the importance of the issue, this is what I wanted to do in terms of group management and day-to-day routine. We decided to make that choice. We did it for the sake of OM.”
The Lombard coach also spoke about his feeling of having been in Rome the week of the Pope’s death: “It was a very great emotion even if I am not practicing. What he did in his life, I told the players. We went to bring a crown of flowers with a few players. "
The coach said he was satisfied with the general return, although he recalled that difficult periods were normal over ten months: “At the physical level, everyone came back, when we saw Greenwood when he came into play… Over 10 months, it’s normal that there’s a drop, we’ve had injured players. It’s not an apology. We have to make decisions at the right time. (…) (Balerdi) He hasn’t done all the work with us, I haven’t decided yet. He said he was available. We’ll see if he plays tomorrow.”
De Zerbi mentioned Rowe’s difficulties while recalling his great talent: “Jonathan made a very good start to the season, after he paid for the team’s problems. He got a little lost on the road. He’s back in playtime, he can even play pre-center. He’s a talented player, but you have to go with him. Sometimes I made a mistake by not aligning it.”
The Lombard coach spoke of the Swiss adversity and the willingness of his players to go to the Champions League: “It is a strong team with a strong Ajorque fort centre. We want to stay in second place in the standings… They’re all good guys. When things come out, it’s not bad faith. We want to play the Champions League but we have limits, me first. "
Brighton’s elder also mentioned rumours of tensions at Commandery and the possibility of returning to Rome next week: “It’s OM! I knew it before and that’s why I chose to come here. Everyone must be free to do what they want, I do what is right for the team in my opinion. We’ve always tried to do things for the sake of OM. After the polemics, I leave them to others (…) We will see (return to Roma next week), for now, there is only Brest that interests me.”