After the heavy 0-5 defeat against Paris Saint-Germain in the French league, the relationship between Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi and the Olympique Marseille players started to clearly strain, as a sense of frustration and misunderstanding appeared within the locker room following the disappointing performance and the coach's controversial decisions.

The players found it difficult to grasp the playing style and some of De Zerbi's choices, such as adjusting the main lineup and moving some players from their traditional positions, which caused confusion and a sense of indifference among some, with growing discontent due to the lack of clear development in training performance.

The tension extended beyond the field, as it was noticed that there was close monitoring of the players' behavior inside the training center, which increased psychological pressure instead of enhancing unity within the team, and some leaders expressed their fear of a possible division or rift between the players and the technical management.

The club's management tried to calm the situation by holding meetings between De Zerbi and the players to ease the tension, but there are doubts about the continuation of the current relationship in the long term, especially with rising questions about the coach's future if results and the atmosphere do not improve quickly.