Choices that raise questions, a logic that reassures

We expected him to be cautious, but he was visionary. Instead of stacking flashy names, Roberto De Zerbi dared a five-man defense, revived Kondogbia, and started Weah and Nadir. From the outside, it might have looked like pure audacity. On the field, it was a calibrated plan: complementary profiles, clear roles, continuity with the principles already laid down last season.

An organized imbalance: Murillo pushes forward, Pavard locks it down

No falling back, but constant thrusts on the wings. Murillo, pushed up high as a wing-back, embodied the “controlled imbalance” dear to the coach and provoked the penalty for the 1–0 as early as the 10th minute. Behind him, Pavard systematically covered, proof of a balance thought out in the smallest detail: when one attacks the space, the other secures the freed zone.

Up front: coordinated mobility and Nadir’s hybrid role

Greenwood and Gouiri alternated runs and drop-backs to stretch Lorient’s defensive line. On the left, Nadir filled a hybrid role — covering work, inside support — that recalled certain duties seen last year. Nothing improvised: everyone knew when to hold, when to dive, when to slow down. The result: better-paced attacks and a block always ready for counter-pressing.

Squad management and continuity: the real gamble

Between a turbulent end of the transfer window and the international break, OM didn’t need a revolution. De Zerbi favored players already steeped in his principles to guarantee a reliable foundation, while gradually integrating the new signings. Yes, it’s a gamble: if the game goes wrong, it’s labeled tinkering. Here, coherence and control validated the approach.

What this says about De Zerbi’s OM

Forget the cliché of the coach with punchlines. Make way for the builder of ideas. His teams don’t just repeat a “system,” they perform a score: structured buildups, flanks animated by rotations, counter-pressing triggered on clear signals. Victory isn’t only about the scoreline: it reassures about identity and collective discipline.

Heading to Madrid: the promise of a plan

Against Real, OM won’t be able to match raw talent. But De Zerbi has shown he knows how to shape a plan, adapt his men, and detail their tasks. Maybe not with the same starters, nor the same structure. One certainty, though: there will be a plan. Thought out, precise, embraced. And as long as that compass exists, OM always has a chance to surprise.