Roberto de Zerbi: Why Brighton boss is set to be 'one of the very best'

1 year ago 43

Brighton players and coaches observe beating Arsenal successful the Carabao Cup

This is simply a peculiar clip to beryllium a Brighton supporter. The Seagulls are connected people for their highest ever finish, with European qualification successful their sights and a travel to Wembley aboriginal this period to look Manchester United successful the FA Cup semi-finals.

A unit to beryllium reckoned with astatine the apical level, their committedness to information investigation has unearthed immoderate talented players and a manager who is getting the champion retired of them.

So far, Roberto De Zerbi's content successful bold, possession-based attacking shot has been rewarded since replacing Graham Potter arsenic manager successful September.

"He's a manager who wants to person the shot each the time," says Tottenham midfielder Sandro, who played nether De Zerbi during a spell astatine Benevento.

"A precise intelligent and precise peculiar manager who thinks a batch astir the game. He helps players and gives them the details they request to wounded the opponent."

The ambitious De Zerbi has ne'er been acrophobic of a challenge. Benevento, a tiny nine from Campania, successful the south-west of Italy, reached Serie A for the archetypal clip successful 2017 but soon discovered that they were retired of their depth. After losing their archetypal 9 league games, scoring conscionable once, De Zerbi took over.

Realistically, Benevento were already doomed to relegation, but they approached the remainder of the play with awesome tone and intensity. Sandro was 1 of respective January signings, joining connected indebtedness from Turkish broadside Antalyaspor.

"Benevento were successful a precise atrocious situation, but De Zerbi picked immoderate players to effort to amended the squad and I was portion of that. I didn't cognize that I was going to conscionable 1 of the champion coaches that I've had. It was astonishing due to the fact that I learned a batch from him, and I truly enjoyed playing for him. I saw large things," says Sando.

"When I arrived there, I was already an experienced subordinate and I'd seen truthful galore coaches. He made maine travel to games with fire, similar 'what's helium going to thatch america today? What are we going to do?' You indispensable beryllium bully to bash that. I wanted more. I wanted to play for him."

Asked what characteristics you request to play for De Zerbi, Sandro repeats the aforesaid connection respective times: "heart'"

"The players request to springiness everything. They request to springiness humor connected the field. He doesn't similar players who are conscionable blessed to beryllium there."

While Benevento suffered a batch of setbacks- 20 retired of De Zerbi's 29 games arsenic manager ended successful decision - helium ne'er fto the temper successful the dressing country crook to despair. With his infectious enthusiasm, helium inspired his players to support warring until the precise end, adjacent aft their destiny had been sealed.

"He's a precise unfastened feline with a large heart. My narration with him was amazing. I was his skipper astatine that time. He was truthful unfastened erstwhile helium spoke with me. It was large due to the fact that I could amended my shot and accidental what I wanted to," Sandro adds.

"The archetypal happening I saw was a manager who was precise bare for success. He's truthful passionate astir the game. I deliberation that's wherefore he's improving time by day."

In relegation, Benevento and De Zerbi inactive won plentifulness of admirers for their courageousness and enactment ethic. Sassuolo moved rapidly to enlistee him that summer. Over the adjacent 3 years, helium transformed the club's outlook. They challenged for Europe with an adventurous, high-energy benignant of play.

"It was truly amusive to play successful his team. I've played for a batch of clubs, and immoderate of my coaches were large players similar Marco van Basten, Ronald Koeman, Sinisa Mihajlovic, but I ne'er had amusive similar I did with Roberto," says Filip Djuricic, who followed De Zerbi from Benevento to Sassuolo.

"He looks astatine shot successful a antithetic way. He's similar a fig 10, but successful a coach's suit!

"He showed Italy however to play a antithetic benignant of football. We were precise brave and we weren't acrophobic of anyone. It's a precise analyzable benignant of football, but erstwhile you look astatine it connected the TV, it's precise nice. When I ticker Brighton sometimes, I laughter to myself due to the fact that I recognise the situations. He decently enactment his ideas successful our minds."

Djuricic was often deployed successful attacking midfield and has played much matches for De Zerbi than immoderate different manager successful his career. Both occasionally volatile and headstrong, they stock a communal respect that outlasted immoderate of their little disputes.

"I'm Serbian and we tin beryllium hard characters! He's a small spot similar, but he's a precise bully person. He ever looks astatine the quality broadside archetypal of all, past the shot side," says the 31-year-old, present astatine Sampdoria.

"We had a truly adjacent relationship. I look astatine him similar my 2nd father. We argued a batch of times but, the time after, erstwhile we came to training, everything would beryllium normal. He tried to look astatine the concern from some sides. That's a large advantage."

Despite their closeness, Djuricic was held to the aforesaid exacting standards arsenic everyone other astatine Sassuolo. When helium fell short, helium faced the consequences. In January 2021, helium was dropped from the squad to look Atalanta.

"We argued astir tactics," helium recalls. "I didn't similar thing and I overreacted. He punished maine by leaving maine retired of the squad for 1 game. After that, everything went backmost to mean and I played regularly. He likes to speech openly astir situations. I recovered myself making a mistake, I apologised and we worked it out."

An obsessive coach, De Zerbi is ever searching for solutions. Rather than conscionable resorting to the transportation market, helium wants to assistance players larn and develop. Domenico Berardi, Manuel Locatelli and Giacomo Raspadori each took their performances to the adjacent level nether his watch.

"He showed america that we could play against large teams," said Djuricic. "If you're playing against Inter Milan, and you person 70% possession, that means you've improved a batch mentally. You're playing against Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez and you're successful complaint of the game. That gives you a batch of confidence."

Throughout an eclectic career, Sandro has worked with much than 30 managers, including Cesare Prandelli, Tite and Andre Villas-Boas, but helium holds De Zerbi successful the highest esteem.

"We didn't person unit due to the fact that the squad was already down. But I said, 'If helium tin bash this with a squad that doesn't person thing to play for, tin you ideate erstwhile helium has guys who are playing for something?' Seeing him now, successful the Premier League, I'm truthful proud," says the 34-year-old.

"It's a pleasance to person a manager similar him. He improved the players a lot. I was talking astir him years agone but present the satellite knows astir him. He deserves to beryllium wherever helium is due to the fact that he's a apical coach. I judge he's going to beryllium 1 of the champion precise soon."

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