‘Why do you think I work? To look stupid?’ – Roberto De Zerbi hits out at ‘myth’ on his style of play | OneFootball

Roberto De Zerbi has long been lionised—and sometimes criticised—for his devotion to an aesthetically pleasing style of play. But for those who have painted the Italian as a purist obsessed with style over substance, the Italian had a clear rebuttal: “I live for the result.”Speaking in an interview with Italian podcast Supernova hosted by Alessandro Cattelan, the Olympique de Marseille boss wanted to tackle head-on a narrative that has followed him since his early coaching days at Sassuolo and through his high-profile stint at Brighton.“People see me as a philosopher, but I’ve had many conflicts. I’m anything but.” The Marseille coach insists he is pragmatic: “If I can, I’ll put two goalkeepers in to defend.”“My journalist friends often wrote that I live for the game, and that I don’t care about the result,” he said. “That’s not the reality: I live for the result. I just put the result at the end of a road.”“It’s a process,” he continued. “And I have to believe in it, otherwise the opposite happens…”“There isn’t only one way to win, otherwise all coaches would play the same way,” he insisted. “Who invented the idea that you could put the game before results? Why do you think I work? To look stupid? To just take part?”De Zerbi has led Marseille back to the UEFA Champions League during an eventful first season in charge at Le Volcan, but says he is now “on holiday” before pre-season preparations commence for the 2025-2026 season. The Italian was linked to the Inter Milan job several weeks ago, but refuted those links during a visit to Foggia where he was made an honoury citizen of the town of his former club. “I’m happy in Marseille and I haven’t received any calls from other clubs,” when asked about potential interest from Inter.GFFN | George Boxall