Italian football journalist Marco Demicheli on what to expect from Brighton's new head coach: "He likes to be very offensive; he likes to have an attacking team with many attacking players. Levi Colwill has come into the fold in recent weeks due to an injury to Webster, and has looked fully comfortable operating in De Zerbis possession heavy ideologies. In three years in charge of the club, Potter was able to reinvent the side from a team that sat back relying on a stout defense to stave off relegation into one of the most attractive Premier League sides to watch outside of the top six. In other ways, it was difficult to truly know what to make of De Zerbis tactical plans in defense, which is normally more of a rigid phase than a chaotic one. Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi explains fury at Thomas Frank after From Beckham to Messi: How much has MLS grown in a decade? But he struggled to break through under Potter and Brighton were prepared to offload him, however he was hampered by injury during a loan-to-buy move to Greek side Olympiacos in 2021-22 which did not work out. Roberto De Zerbi - Wikipedia In his Coverciano thesis, De Zerbi argues that central defenders must have the pleasure of holding the ball, of building the game, knowing that everything starts from them. Roberto De Zerbi expects Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo to Spurs' Son is now officially a year younger. Now for the particularities around De Zerbi and his build-up, which you have most likely been waiting to see! Perhaps the most interesting move of De Zerbis time in charge has been repurposing Pascal Gro into a right-back, a position he only occasionally played in for Potter. No?". He is a big admirer of some of the coaches that have enjoyed great success in England and once broke off a news conference because he wanted to watch Leeds United play when Marcelo Bielsa was in charge. Brighton 's new head coach Roberto De Zerbi appears to tick all the same boxes predecessor Graham Potter did across his 40 months in charge. One potential barrier is language. For more information: Before our interview, De Zerbi is presented with a bespoke scarf one of the fans has made for him. Roberto de Zerbi: Brighton appoint Italian as manager - BBC "I believe in this value; I want to be always clear and honest. In fact, the most encouraging aspect to the Italians management style has been his ability to not change all that much from Graham Potters reign. 52. "They were in Split in Croatia and he realised he couldn't continue, without knowing where to go next but they were in such a difficult position he felt he couldn't help much. Roberto De Zerbi believes there is room for improvement by his Brighton team and by him as a head coach after hammering Wolves. When I played I didnt want them to send me long balls, he explained to El Pas in 2021. I have to understand the league better. He went on to manage Palermo, Benevento and Sassuolo in Serie A, where he developed a reputation for possession-based, attacking football. He wanted them to finish as 5-0 or 6-0 winners. Footballing history will note Manchester City's title win -- their fifth in six seasons -- and the trio of clubs relegated. While they wait for a natural goal-scoring centre-forward, De Zerbi continues to push Brightons charge up the table, and ensure theyre set up for a solid top half finish once more. His impact in England will be massive, Manchester Citys manager has said. Danny Welbeck might remain the favourite up top when Trossards not already taken the mantle, but is yet to score this season. More exciting results and tactics are destined to follow, as De Zerbi now works toward a successive top-half finish for the club. This is actually an anomaly across his entire career thus far, but its been almost entirely around his frequent occupation of the left-half-spaces, where hes often given the ball in space on that side. Press-resistant midfielders became the vogue. Last updated on 30 September 202230 September 2022.From the section Brighton. "It's one step you didn't expect to make at the start of the day.". -> Contact There can be few coaches who will have had a more difficult start to life as a Premier League manager than the one Roberto de Zerbi . , Introduction to Football Analysis Online Course. Elevate your craft and get started today! -> Consultation The 43-year-old Italian has signed a four-year deal at the Amex Stadium and insisted at his unveiling on Tuesday he picked Brighton over a host of other managerial opportunities. Enter your email to receive our weekly newsletter! The 43-year-old has signed a four-year contract at Amex Stadium, replacing Graham . "Language is so important, not only in tactical instruction but also empathy and developing those connections with players.". If we're dropping deep, we're still looking to attack quickly from goal kicks. A little over a year on from being forced out of Ukraine by war, Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi has guided Premier League club Brighton & Hove Albion to a historic first.. After its 1-1 draw . Being able to balance possession with defense will be a challenge in replacing Potter's organized setups especially as the center backs will be involved in the build-up for De Zerbi. The Seagulls sealed a place in at least the Europa . Estupin likes to get up the by-line and deliver crosses, and the direct running power of Mitoma and Trossard can also be used as instant outlets in those channels. The Spaniard is excellent out from the back, and makes smart tactical decisions when rushing out from his line. Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi has revealed when major Premier League clubs including Manchester United and Arsenal will be able to sign Kaoru Mitoma amid his brilliant breakout season in England. Here, we look at the career record and tactics of the highly rated Italian head coach. "When you're working in other countries, you're only focused on your team and players," De Zerbi says. Read about our approach to external linking. "He told me very good things about the club. The two midfielders have played a key role in Brighton's season with De Zerbi's. The period between Roberto De Zerbis players reporting back in stages for pre-season training from July 3 depending on the extent of their national-team involvement since the clubs season ended four weeks ago and the Europa League group-stage draw on September 1 will provide a clearer picture of injury-hit Jakub Moders part in the head coachs plans. And he told me that if I need he will be very happy to help me - but of course not in the match we are playing against them! Roberto de Zerbi: Brighton appoint Italian as manager - BBC Sport Moder is a different type of midfielder to Moises Caicedo, the Ecuador international who is wanted by Chelsea. "I was worse in the past! De Zerbi says his best friends would describe him as "Crazy, honest" He pauses. Kozlowski arrived from Poland with a big reputation when Brighton signed the then 18-year-old from Pogon Szczecin in January 2022, for around 8million, on a contract to June 2026. TheMastermindSite.com is one of the leading resources for football tactics, analysis and coaching education. But it is also the very thing modern football convention warns you not to do. However, De Zerbi expects Mac Allister, repeatedly linked with a move to Liverpool, and 21-year Ecuador international Caicedo, who was wanted by Arsenal in January with Brighton rejecting a 70m . In midfield, De Zerbis started the partnership of Alexis Mac Allister and Moiss Caicedo in every match apart from the last, after Mac Allister won the World Cup with Argentina. Roberto de Zerbi says he spoke with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola before taking over as Brighton manager. De Zerbi has prioritized short passing out from the back, often done through one-touch triangulations. De Zerbi and Brighton are one of the stories of the 2022-23 Premier League season, having endured significant departures only to end the year qualifying for the Europa League. Every game is very difficult to make points, to win the game. SYSTEM OF PLAY: 4-2-3-1 . Defensive reassurances remain necessary, and perhaps that will come with time as he expands his pressing horizons. Required fields are marked *. Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football, Here is where the influence of De Zerbis playmaking past comes in. Very ambitious, honest but unstable, impatient and fiercely volcanic. For De Zerbi, football had to be played his way if it was worth doing at all. "He was also a visitor at the City football campus only a few weeks ago. Their 3-4-2-1 shape will frequently see more of a 3+2 build-up, but now in the 4-2-3-1, a 2-4-4 is the most common adoption. Playing alongside an aggressive 6 who also happens to be imaginative on the ball has been a stroke of genius, and De Zerbis clearly recognized the value of his midfield pairing in controlling the tempo of the game. This makes him useful in a back four too if De Zerbi wants to return the versatile Gro back into midfield. "We need another point for the Europa League, we want to play there, not in [the Europa Conference League]." In the 40 Premier League games he has played for Brighton, Moder was used by Potter primarily on the left side of midfield or at left wing-back. But in the Premier League at least, it has not been done as audaciously or deliberately as this. He guided the Italian side to two eighth-place finishes in Serie A, only missing out on European qualification on goal difference in the 2020-21 season. He lets out a small laugh, eyebrows raised in approval and then switches to the next task. This has been a beautiful concoction of brilliance from the Graham Potter days, finding a way to get the best out of Caicedos fantastic shuttling energy without limiting him to a strictly defensive role. Youre probably expecting me to say the word left-footed in the next few sentences, but believe it or not, the Belgian wizard is actually right-footed. Newly-appointed head coach Roberto De Zerbi says the Brighton players suit his style of play. How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK. "The Premier League is a great competition," De Zerbi says. Opponents, dates, format: A Brighton Europa League guide. I understand that to stay at the right level, you have to stay more relaxed." De Zerbi signed four-year deal Coaching staff also agreed contracts Could be in charge . De Zerbi's impact at Brighton has been one of the stories of the 2022-23 Premier League season. "In his short spell with Shakhtar he enjoyed further success, leading the club to cup success and topping the Ukrainian league before the war brought an abrupt halt to his time there.". Saturday's 6-0 win at the Amex Stadium is Brighton's biggest . His team followed that with two wins against Liverpool this year. Brighton have also agreed deals with De Zerbi's coaching team and hope to have the group in place for their Premier League clash against Liverpool a week on Saturday. De Zerbi met chairman Bloom, chief executive Paul Barber and David Weir in London earlier this week and flew to Brighton on Friday before watching a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Amex on Saturday. "It's clear that now I take a team that is fourth in the table and that has given me more motivation.". Photograph: Simon Stacpoole/Offside/Getty Images -> Scouting & recruitment -> Subscribe "You have been fantastic," he says. Weve always seen Trossard as more of the Dynamic Dribbling type, and his on-the-ball ability should not be limited in favour of his intense running power. How will Chivas, Club Amrica, Tigres fare this season? "The fans understand and know if you are working with passion or not. One player may lull the opposition into pressing harder by pausing on the ball and delaying the action, and Brighton remain fully comfortable in playing their way out and exposing the gaps. I would like to speak proper English to understand everything, no? Eight months since replacing Graham Potter, Brighton have secured European football for the first time in the club's history. Mainly operating out of a 4-2-3-1 while playing a back three at times, De Zerbi's teams controlled possession but weren't very strong defensively. In May 2021 he took charge of Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk and won the domestic Super Cup in his first few months at the club. Successive eighth-place finishes in Serie A involved finishing above more established clubs, which is something Brighton are looking to do after their ninth-placed Premier League finish last term. Different country, different players, different style of play, different coaches. By starting from the bottom up, the ball arrives clean, not high and dirty.. "It's an honour for me, working here. How to get into football - the most popular sport in the world, with clubs and facilities throughout the UK. He started the media duties with an assessment of his ability to speak English -- he says speaking Italian is "like drinking water," while English is tougher -- and De Zerbi's interpreter and assistant coach Enrico Venturelli is nearby as we talk. Roberto De Zerbi looks on during Brighton's draw at Liverpool. "Everybody speaks very highly of him, which is not normal: usually, 50 people talk highly of me and 50 people talk really badly, so to have 100 percent of people talking so well of him is really something.". Had it not been for a marginally worse goal difference, it would have been Sassuolo who qualified for the Europa Conference League last season rather than Roma, who went on to win it under Jose Mourinho. Adam Lallana has come back into the fold as the teams 10 rather than in that deeper-lying role, a move that already began earlier in the season under Potter. Here is our tactical analysis of De Zerbi's Brighton so far in 2022-23, and whether or not the Italian can lead them toward European football this season. Italian football is considered pragmatic, a contrast to the style Potter had developed, but De Zerbi is seen as part of the country's new generation of coaches, capable of providing the continuation Brighton fans are perhaps keen for. "I met him when he said goodbye to the Shakhtar Donetsk players," said Spanish football journalist Guillem Balague. Good enough to be at Milan without ever being good enough to play for them. Brighton bosses Paul Barber and Bloom insisted De Zerbi was on a shortlist of one to take the helm, with both club and new coach believing their qualities and vision align. Here is our tactical analysis of De Zerbis Brighton so far in 2022-23, and whether or not the Italian can lead them toward European football this season. "I just love his relentlessness, his energy on the touch line. I want to be myself in every situation: when we win, when we lose, when we are in a good time, when we are in a bad time. Potter left for Chelsea in early September and was subsequently sacked by them within seven months. Horner vents frustration at Perez, Arsenal transfers: Mari completes permanent move to AC Monza. BRIGHTON -- Roberto De Zerbi has always been a dreamer. Brighton & Hove Albion manager Roberto De Zerbi is reportedly a big fan of Mohammed Kudus, who is believed to be a target for Liverpool. ", "I spoke to Pep, yes," said De Zerbi. It would've been very nice to play up front for him.". In the 4-2-3-1, that defensive stance shifts in between a 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2. "Maybe it's an honour and it's right to work more after these words." Sign up to receive articles like this delivered directly to your inbox! The people speak because I have very great players, but I was a player and understand very well the good words I receive but I know the credit is with my players.". It was bad also to leave something that was going very well. "The difference has been Roberto," Mac Allister tells ESPN. The ability to play pinpoint mid-range passes became a required goalkeeping trait. It's black with gold lettering reading "Goalfather" embroidered across the centre of it. Brighton appoint Roberto De Zerbi as manager to replace Graham Potter De Zerbi was the only candidate Brighton spoke to. "De Zerbi doesn't play on the pitch. Solly March is a fantastic crosser of the ball down the other wing, and an incredibly skillful player who can create his own sense of space for himself before delivering. After that comes clarification and deflection. Roberto De Zerbi joins Brighton and Hove Albion: What to know about The terms of the loan deal included an option for Fortuna to buy Karbownik for around 2.6million, but they cannot afford that. Brighton have confirmed that Roberto De Zerbi is the club's new manager, replacing Graham Potter at the helm. For a man who moves quickly, De Zerbi got off to a slow start on the south coast. Getty Images.