Liverpool Face Off Against Marseille in a Battle for Consistency
Marseille has been making waves in the football world, showcasing a coherent team under coach Roberto De Zerbi. The team's attacking output is striking, and their ceiling appears to be high enough to trouble elite opponents. However, consistency remains an elusive goal for the club, which struggles with inconsistency and uncertainty.
De Zerbi's team recently secured a 5-2 win against Angers, with four different players scoring stylish goals in the first half. This marked one of the best halves shown by the team since De Zerbi took over. The coach praised his team's performance, stating that it was the best he had seen since his arrival.
Marseille boasts an impressive 41 goals in 18 league matches this season, the most prolific attack in Ligue 1. They have also scored 16 goals in all competitions since the start of the year, matching only Bayern Munich in Europe's top five leagues. The team is on its best attacking run for half a century, but impermanence hangs over them.
The club has been plagued by inconsistency, with results varying wildly between wins and losses. In January, Marseille suffered two starkly different performances – a 2-0 defeat to Nantes followed by a dominant win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophée des Champions. The contrast highlighted the team's struggle for consistency.
De Zerbi has returned to his familiar refrain that the quality is visible but reproducing it remains a challenge. He has challenged his team to string together 10 matches at this standard, with him on the bench. This emphasis on consistency underscores the psychological aspect of De Zerbi's approach, where moments of coherence are juxtaposed with abrupt regression.
The coach's team has undergone significant structural changes since his arrival in June 2024, with over a dozen players coming and going during the summer of 2025 alone. The constant turnover has produced uneven results, with some arrivals lifting the technical level quickly while others struggle to adapt.
Academy players have also been transient, with Robinio Vaz sold to Roma for €25m after just a handful of appearances. Darryl Bakola is being linked with an exit, adding to the sense that the club's priorities are driven more by economic necessity than sporting ambition.
Medhi Benatia, the director of football, acknowledged the difficulty of building for the long-term in Marseille. "At Marseille, it's hard to project yourself," he said. De Zerbi has tethered his own future to that of Benatia and the club's president, Pablo Longoria, stating that if either leaves, he will as well.
The immediate challenge for De Zerbi and his team is to replicate their win against Angers with a similar performance against Liverpool in the Champions League. When asked about this task, De Zerbi reiterated his desire for more consistency and continuity, emphasizing that they must be able to compete with everyone if they are well-prepared.
While Marseille has made significant strides under De Zerbi, protecting their coherence long enough to become something durable remains an open question.
Marseille has been making waves in the football world, showcasing a coherent team under coach Roberto De Zerbi. The team's attacking output is striking, and their ceiling appears to be high enough to trouble elite opponents. However, consistency remains an elusive goal for the club, which struggles with inconsistency and uncertainty.
De Zerbi's team recently secured a 5-2 win against Angers, with four different players scoring stylish goals in the first half. This marked one of the best halves shown by the team since De Zerbi took over. The coach praised his team's performance, stating that it was the best he had seen since his arrival.
Marseille boasts an impressive 41 goals in 18 league matches this season, the most prolific attack in Ligue 1. They have also scored 16 goals in all competitions since the start of the year, matching only Bayern Munich in Europe's top five leagues. The team is on its best attacking run for half a century, but impermanence hangs over them.
The club has been plagued by inconsistency, with results varying wildly between wins and losses. In January, Marseille suffered two starkly different performances – a 2-0 defeat to Nantes followed by a dominant win against Paris Saint-Germain in the Trophée des Champions. The contrast highlighted the team's struggle for consistency.
De Zerbi has returned to his familiar refrain that the quality is visible but reproducing it remains a challenge. He has challenged his team to string together 10 matches at this standard, with him on the bench. This emphasis on consistency underscores the psychological aspect of De Zerbi's approach, where moments of coherence are juxtaposed with abrupt regression.
The coach's team has undergone significant structural changes since his arrival in June 2024, with over a dozen players coming and going during the summer of 2025 alone. The constant turnover has produced uneven results, with some arrivals lifting the technical level quickly while others struggle to adapt.
Academy players have also been transient, with Robinio Vaz sold to Roma for €25m after just a handful of appearances. Darryl Bakola is being linked with an exit, adding to the sense that the club's priorities are driven more by economic necessity than sporting ambition.
Medhi Benatia, the director of football, acknowledged the difficulty of building for the long-term in Marseille. "At Marseille, it's hard to project yourself," he said. De Zerbi has tethered his own future to that of Benatia and the club's president, Pablo Longoria, stating that if either leaves, he will as well.
The immediate challenge for De Zerbi and his team is to replicate their win against Angers with a similar performance against Liverpool in the Champions League. When asked about this task, De Zerbi reiterated his desire for more consistency and continuity, emphasizing that they must be able to compete with everyone if they are well-prepared.
While Marseille has made significant strides under De Zerbi, protecting their coherence long enough to become something durable remains an open question.