FEATURE | Adrien Rabiot’s positional switch-up pays off for Marseille and Roberto De Zerbi | OneFootball

Roberto De Zerbi’s choice to switch Adrien Rabiot’s positioning since the turn of the year has proved revelatory in recent weeks for Olympique de Marseille’s midfield. The France international has now scored four goals in the new year, as De Zerbi’s men secured a dominant 5-1 win over Saint-Étienne as further proof that the Italian tactician’s ideas are making an impact with the Phocéen club. The former Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain man made a marauding run at the back post and was perfectly positioned to nod home OM’s fifth goal of the game against Sainté on Saturday afternoon; even beating teammate Pierre Emile-Højbjerg to Amar Dedic’s pinpoint headed-cross towards the back post. Three of Rabiot’s five goals for Marseille have now been headed efforts this season, as the Frenchman has adapted to a more offensive role in Roberto De Zerbi’s 3-4-2-1 formation. When asked about the goal-scoring form of OM’s midfielders this season, Rabiot credited coach Roberto De Zerbi when speaking to BeIn Sports following Saturday’s win over Saint-Étienne. “That’s what the coach asks of us because he knows I can make attacking runs and be present in the box, especially with headers.”

De Zerbi saw the attributes necessary in the Frenchman, in his height at 1.91 metres and an excellent sense of positioning to be able to make late runs into the box. Back in 2016, as a young French prospect with PSG, Rabiot admitted, “Defensively, I’m solid, but I don’t score enough headers.” Now, it has become one of his most lethal weapons.

Rabiot’s repositioning further up the pitch for Les Phocéens since the turn of the year has clearly proved fruitful for De Zerbi and Marseille, with four of his five goals this season coming in 2025. He enjoys a more fluid offensive midfield position thanks to the hard work of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and more recently Ismaël Bennacer who act as lower double pivot when in possession of the ball. The two holding midfielders will be in different lines during the build-up. This is crucial for creating passing lanes and disrupting the opposition’s defensive structure.At Brighton, those pivot roles were mainly given to Moises Caicedo, Pascal Gross and Billy Gilmour at different moments of De Zerbi’s tenure with the Seagulls. It’s clearly a model which has worked in the English elite, with the likes of Gross and Alexis Mac Allister having served a similar role to that of Rabiot currently. Yet the Frenchman’s physical profile is completely different to the aforementioned players, but is one that provides a marauding and powerful presence when he is deployed at his very best.

Not only does Rabiot’s offensive flurries see himself get into several good positions to score, but he also affords OM’s offensive players some more space. This was clear to see with Amine Gouiri’s long-range opener against Saint-Étienne, helped by Rabiot’s burst to get in-behind.

“This is what we want to do. It’s what we’ve been trying to implement since the start of the season. Naturally, in the beginning, it took some time to find our rhythm. Now, from match to match, we see improvement. We are patient in our play, and we manage to score,” said Rabiot following the game. “This is what the coach demands, and we’re happy. Everyone is capable of scoring, everyone attacks, everyone defends.”

Internally at Marseille, there will be plenty of room for optimism following Les Olympiens last three wins in Ligue 1, but the reality is that De Zerbi and his men still have work to do if they are to get any closer to challenging PSG at the top on a long-term basis. But with the experience of leaders such as Rabiot, Bennacer, and Højbjerg showing their flexibility and willingness to implement De Zerbi’s ideas in the middle of the park – it makes Les Phocéens a more than dangerous prospect in the most important area of the pitch, especially in view of potential qualification for the Champions League next season. GFFN | George Boxall – from Marseille.