Marseille were three goals down by half time at the Stade Velodrome and De Zerbi’s side were unable to launch a comeback after Mason Greenwood scored a penalty in the 65th minute.
De Zerbi joined Marseille having left Brighton in the summer but the Italian is adamant that he is ready to walk away from the French club if he is considered a ‘problem’ by the club’s hierarchy.
‘I have to take responsibility for this home defeat. We have difficulties at home, that’s clear. I don’t know if it’s a lack of courage or personality,’ said De Zerbi.
‘I came here to play at the Velodrome because I wanted to live the experience. If the problem is me, I’m ready to leave. I’m leaving without the money, I don’t care about the rest. I don’t want to make excuses and talk nonsense. I’m not going to escape, we have to face reality. That’s what I have to do.’
Marseille have won just one of their five games at home under De Zerbi this season and the Italian has been unhappy with his side’s displays at the Stade Velodrome.
‘Playing at the Velodrome is a privilege,’ De Zerbi said.
‘I have to transfer my passion for football to the players. At PSG, we played with ten men, it’s true. But what I saw with 11 against 11 did not please me. There are performances that are not good at home. Away, we have had good performances, in Toulouse, Montpellier, Nantes.’
The defeat to Auxerre leaves Marseille six points behind Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who could extend their advantage to nine points with a win away to Angers on Saturday evening.
A top-four finish would represent a significant improvement on Marseille’s eighth-placed finish last season but De Zerbi is adamant that he could leave the club before the campaign ends.
‘We can’t talk about this second place,’ said De Zerbi.
‘I have to be able to give, to transmit something. I live for things that transcend football. I repeat, if I’m the problem, I have to leave. Money is nothing to me. It’s the gratification of the work that is important. I don’t have bad things to say about my players. If I leave, I leave my heart, my soul.’
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