Marseille coach De Zerbi says he won’t quit amid poor home form

MARSEILLE, France (AP) — Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi says he won’t leave the club despite hinting before the international break that he might do so.

After a 3-1 home loss against promoted Auxerre at the Velodrome Stadium earlier this month, De Zerbi said he was ready to leave if he was the problem at the nine-time French champion.

Marseille has enjoyed a good start to the season under De Zerbi, sitting in third place ahead of Saturday’s trip to Lens. But the club has been struggling at the Velodrome with just one win in five matches at home.

De Zerbi, who left Brighton after two seasons in charge, led the Premier League club to its highest ever top-flight finish of sixth, and then to the last 16 of the Europa League. He previously coached Shakhtar Donetsk, leaving the Ukrainian club by mutual consent after the season was cut short by the war in the country.

“I will not resign or run away. I didn’t leave Ukraine when (Russian President Vladimir) Putin started bombing Kyiv,” De Zerbi said. “I’m not going to run away because of what happened. I believe in Marseille and in the players I coach. … I’m not going anywhere else.”

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