Roberto de Zerbi has come under fire from Canadian national team head coach Jesse Marsh over his handling of Ismael Kone during his time at Marseille. In August last year, video footage surfaced of the pair having to be separated by players and staff at the French club’s training ground, leaving De Zerbi furious at the training session.
The now Tottenham manager was heard telling Cohn to “get in” and then yelling at him to “call my agent”. Kone later left Marseille for Sassuolo in that transfer window, but now Marsch has stepped forward to protect the Canadian midfielder, with some scathing comments aimed squarely at De Zerbi.
“His relationship with De Zerbi at Marseille was not easy for him. De Zerbi was a real bastard to him, but he remained strong. He never doubted himself. He found a new environment, and look at his development today. I repeat, De Zerbi acted like a real bastard to him.”
“When I took over the reins of the Canadian national team, I thought Ismael was an inexperienced player but full of talent. Since then, I’ve talked to him a lot about discipline and focus and what that means in everyday life: his diet, his sleep habits, the way he trains, the way he plays, and his overall intelligence.
“He went to Italy to play in a newly promoted team in a very organized league, played a very important role in that team and had a great season. Look at the progress he has made despite the difficulties.”
On the other hand, Mr. de Zerbi effectively maintained his assessment of Mr. Kone in a documentary that captured the conflict between the two men.
“He is one of the players with the most potential at Olympique Marseille, but he has not always behaved well. He is a player with too many ups and downs for a player who is ready for Olympique Marseille,” he said.
De Zerbi managed four games for Tottenham, picking up seven points which were vital to avoiding the drop zone. Last Sunday’s win at Aston Villa, and West Ham’s loss to Brentford just 24 hours earlier, means the Lilywhites now sit one point outside the bottom three and take their fate into their own hands.
This weekend, the Hammers host league leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, while Tottenham host Leeds United in north London on Monday night.
Spurs end the season with matches against Chelsea and Everton, while West Ham face Newcastle United and Leeds. Tottenham travel to Stamford Bridge a few days after their game against their relegation rivals at St James’ Park, but the final 10 games of the season will kick off at the same time.
Nottingham Forest’s 3-1 win over Chelsea on Monday effectively guaranteed Vitor Pereira’s team a place in the Premier League as they continued their unbeaten run since mid-March and reached the latter stages of the Europa League.
