Roberto De Zerbi slammed in X-rated rant after training ground row | Football | Sport

Roberto De Zerbi has come under fire from Canada head coach Jesse Marsch over his handling of Ismael Kone during his time at Marseille. Video footage of the pair having to be pulled apart by players and staff at the French club’s training ground surfaced last August, with De Zerbi left incensed by his conduct during that session.

The now-Tottenham manager could be heard instructing Kone to ‘go inside’ before yelling in his direction ‘call your agent’. Kone subsequently departed Marseille for Sassuolo in that transfer window,and now Marsch has stepped forward to defend the Canadian midfielder, while also delivering some pointed remarks aimed squarely at De Zerbi.

He said: “It wasn’t easy for him with De Zerbi in Marseille. De Zerbi was a real a**hole to him, but he stayed strong. He never doubted himself. He found a new environment, and look at him thriving today. I repeat: De Zerbi behaved like a real a**hole to him.

“When I took over the reins of Canada, I thought Ismael was a raw player, but full of talent. And since then, I have talked to him a lot about discipline and concentration, and everything that this implies in his daily life: his diet, his sleep habits, his way of training, his way of playing, as well as his overall intelligence.

“He went to Italy to play for a newly promoted team in a very organised league, and he played an incredibly important role in that team, having an excellent season. Look at the progress he was able to make despite the difficulties.”

De Zerbi, meanwhile, effectively stood firm on his assessment of Kone in the documentary that captured their confrontation.

He said: “He is one of the players with the most potential at Olympique Marseille, but who didn’t always behave well. Someone who had highs and lows that were too big for a player who is ready for Olympique Marseille.”

De Zerbi has been in charge of four matches at Tottenham, accumulating a crucial seven points in their fight to steer clear of the drop zone. Last Sunday’s victory at Aston Villa, combined with West Ham’s defeat to Brentford just over 24 hours prior, has seen the Lilywhites take their destiny into their own hands as they now sit one point outside the bottom three.

The Hammers again play first this weekend as they host leaders Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, while Tottenham welcome Leeds United to north London on Monday evening.

Spurs round off the campaign against Chelsea and Everton, while West Ham face Newcastle United and Leeds. Although Tottenham travel to Stamford Bridge several days after their relegation rivals’ fixture at St James’ Park, the final 10 games of the season kick off simultaneously.

Nottingham Forest virtually guaranteed their survival following their 3-1 victory over Chelsea on Monday with Vitor Pereira’s side remaining undefeated since mid-March while also progressing through the latter stages of the Europa League.