De Zerbi’s message to Greenwood was clear that he wants the English forward to show more consistency and intensity in his game. To make his point, the Italian coach drew on an example from Barcelona, showing Greenwood footage of Raphinha‘s tireless work.
“I showed him footage of Raphinha. He had a great game on Monday, he even made a run in the second half and got fouled. You have to do that in every game, not just one in five. When he runs, everyone follows him,” the coach said at a press conference.
Raphinha is widely regarded not just for his technical ability but for the relentless energy he provides down the flanks. At Barca, he has carved a reputation as a forward who presses aggressively, tracks back to help his full-back, and makes repeat runs in behind defenders, even if only one or two of them lead directly to chances. This persistence, De Zerbi believes, is the difference between a talented player and one who can dictate games at the top level.
For Greenwood, the issue has never been raw talent, his left-footed finishing and vision remain standout qualities, but rather sustaining influence across 90 minutes. De Zerbi referenced his team’s recent 1-0 win against PSG as a case in point. Greenwood, who has two goals to his name this season, produced a superb early cross that led to Nayef Aguerd’s goal and later made a powerful run that drew a foul. Yet those moments were sporadic, not sustained.
“You have to do that in every game, not just one in five,” De Zerbi insisted.
Marseille‘s squad depth will be tested as Geoffrey Kondogbia and Ahmed Junior Traore remain sidelined. The absences come at a critical juncture of the season as Marseille seek to build momentum domestically and in Europe. De Zerbi, who has emphasised the need for defensive discipline and intensity, acknowledged that squad rotation will be essential to manage the growing demands across competitions.
Furthermore, the Italian will not be in the dugout for Friday’s game against Strasbourg after he was shown two yellow cards in quick succession for arguing with the referee at the end of the recent win against PSG. De Zerbi admitted his error, even while stressing he had not insulted officials.
“I’m very unhappy about it. I made a mistake, not in what I said because I didn’t offend anyone,” he said. De Zerbi added that his suspension means assistant staff will step up, though he remains confident in the players’ ability to adapt.
After the clash against Strasbourg, De Zerbi’s side then host Ajax in the Champions League on September 30, with their coach returning for the European night.
“There’s no better way to prepare for Ajax than by focusing on tomorrow’s match,” he stressed stressed. This run of fixtures could define OM’s early-season ambitions in both Ligue 1 and Europe with a lot of responsibilities on English international Greenwood.
