Who’s Roberto De Zerbi? Techniques, model and trophies gained by new Brighton boss who Pep Guardiola admires

Brighton will start a brand new period after the worldwide break beneath the steerage of recent head coach Roberto De Zerbi.

The Seagulls’ spectacular begin to this season, which has included wins over Manchester United, West Ham, Leeds and Leicester Metropolis, in the end value them the companies of Graham Potter.

Chelsea moved swiftly to put in the extremely rated English tactician as successor to Thomas Tuchel, with modifications persevering with apace beneath new proprietor Todd Boehly.

However Brighton have been a mannequin of how you can run a soccer membership beneath chairman Tony Bloom and, in De Zerbi, they’ve appointed a first-team boss who has gained rave critiques in his homeland and from a few of the most revered voices in European soccer.

Right here’s all it’s essential to find out about a person aiming to observe in Italy’s proud custom of Premier League managerial success.

MORE: Graham Potter’s contract and tactics at Chelsea

Did Roberto De Zerbi play in Serie A and the Champions League?

One of many first examples of widespread floor between De Zerbi and Potter is a reasonably unremarkable taking part in profession, albeit typically at a better stage than his predecessor.

After progressing via AC Milan’s youth academy, De Zerbi made his skilled breakthrough in Italy’s decrease leagues, together with his most vital spell as a goalscoring attacking midfielder coming at Foggia. A season apiece at Arezzo and Catania preceded him becoming a member of Serie A Napoli in 2006.

De Zerbi went on to signal for Romanian workforce Cluj 4 years later, representing them within the Champions League. His experiences at varied ranges formed the soccer philosophy that may outline him as a coach.

“Once I didn’t have the ball, I bought nervous and didn’t take pleasure in myself, in order a supervisor I at all times hold that thought in thoughts,” he stated. “My soccer philosophy is that the workforce needs to be with the ball.”

MORE: Graham Potter’s Chelsea opener assessed: What we learned about former Brighton manager’s first match vs. RB Salzburg

Which groups have Roberto De Zerbi coached?

De Zerbi first put his imaginative and prescient into observe at Serie D Darfo Boario earlier than a return to Foggia within the dugout. He led the membership to glory within the Coppa Italia Lega Professional – a knockout competitors for Serie C golf equipment – and solely missed out on promotion as a consequence of a 5-3 combination playoff loss to Pisa.

A two-year stint ended amid disagreements with the board. De Zerbi had proven sufficient promise to be supplied the possibility to educate in Serie A, however his appointment as Palermo head coach in September 2016 swiftly imploded.

He was out of a job earlier than the top of November due to a stint that featured seven consecutive residence defeats and elimination from the Coppa Italia by the hands of Serie B Spezia.

Slightly beneath a 12 months later, Benevento appointed De Zerbi having been promoted to the highest flight the earlier season. On paper, it reads as one other failure, given the membership made an on the spot return to Serie B.

However De Zerbi’s dedication to taking part in possession-based, attacking soccer regardless of working with meagre assets gained admirers and, in a career-altering flip of occasions, he caught the eye of Sassuolo.

The Emilia-Romagna membership has a long-established status for putting its religion in up-and-coming Italian expertise, each on the touchline and on the pitch.

Massimiliano Allegri, Stefano Pioli and Eusebio Di Francesco all helped to carve out their reputations by main Sassuolo and De Zerbi was given the instruments to craft a workforce in his picture.

Wins over the likes of Milan and Inter adopted and Sassuolo completed eighth in De Zerbi’s second and third seasons on the helm.

By the point he left on the finish of 2020/21 to take cost of Ukrainian giants Shakhtar Donetsk, Sassuolo had turn out to be one of the crucial dependable sources of taking part in expertise for the Italian nationwide workforce. Winger Domenico Berardi and midfielder Manuel Locatelli every starred for Roberto Mancini’s workforce en path to Euro 2020 glory.

De Zerbi gained his second piece of profession silverware at Shakhtar when his aspect beat Dynamo Kyiv to raise the 2021 Ukrainian Tremendous Cup. His aspect completed backside of a Champions League group that includes Actual Madrid and Inter, though they had been high of Ukraine’s high flight when the 2021/22 season was aborted because of the Russian invasion of the nation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RaugKfPfE9E

What are Roberto De Zerbi’s ways and taking part in model

De Zerbi typically favours a 4-2-3-1 formation however his groups don’t play within the method mostly related to that setup.

Throughout the first decade of the twenty first century, the likes of Jose Mourinho and Rafael Benitez had been pioneers of a bodily and pragmatic 4-2-3-1 that grew to become a dominant mannequin at European and worldwide ranges.

De Zerbi’s interpretation is extra consistent with that of Juanma Lillo, Pep Guardiola’s former assistant at Manchester Metropolis, who’s credited with inventing the formation in Spain in the course of the Nineteen Nineties.

In an strategy that shall be very acquainted to Brighton followers, De Zerbi likes to construct play from the again, utilizing a number of quick passes between his again 4 and two central midfielders to attract the opposition press and play via it.

Creating overloads within the build-up then creates area for his vast and central attackers to harm the opposition.
Like a number of of this technology’s main coaches, De Zerbi counts himself as a Marcelo Bielsa disciple and one other of their quantity is a fan.

What did Pep Guardiola say about Roberto De Zerbi?

A daily characteristic of Potter’s Brighton reign was Guardiola lavishing reward upon the south-coast aspect. Final season, he claimed Metropolis’s 4-1 win at Brighton was a consequence similar to their wins towards the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United.

Guardiola’s appreciation of Italian coaches impressed by the nice former Milan boss Arrigo Sacchi can also be well-documented and the Catalan recognized De Zerbi as one of many shining lights of this faculty.

“These days in Serie A, you see the forwards get much more service and in additional snug areas,” Guardiola stated final 12 months. “Italian soccer will at all times have a component of defending and counter-attack as a result of that is a side that’s admired overseas and a part of your tradition.

“However with the revolution of Arrigo Sacchi and these days coaches like Maurizio Sarri and Roberto De Zerbi, there are groups who play the ball extra and due to this fact additionally concede extra.”

De Zerbi has a tricky process first up when he takes Brighton to Anfield to face Liverpool on October 2. Earlier than the month is out, there’s positive to be a heat embrace with Guardiola for the sport towards the reigning Premier League champions on the Etihad Stadium on October 23.

Brighton and De Zerbi will shortly benefit from the probability to proceed their mutual behavior of taking the large boys down a peg or two.