According to TalkSport reporter Alex Crook, the Italian coach is keeping an eye on the Ajax talent as Kudus looks primed to leave the Dutch giants this summer, with Brighton now interested in signing the 22-year-old forward, who is also wanted by Liverpool. However, there is a notable spread of danger imposed down all thirds - with the key threats leading to opportunities building from the flanks. Roberto De Zerbi was very complimentary of Graham Potter following Brighton's win over Chelsea. "Nowadays in Serie A, you see the forwards get far more service and in more comfortable areas," Guardiola said last year. It is quite simple to spot the flaws in a struggling side and make them better, but to improve a good side can be much harder. 23. WHAT THEY SAID: "Robertos teams play an exciting and courageous brand of football, and I am confident his style and tactical approach will suit our existing squad superbly," Brighton chairman Tony Bloom said. AND WHAT'S MORE: De Zerbi started his coaching career in the lower leagues in Italy before enjoying spells in charge of Palermo and Benevento. [12] On 22 September he won the 2021 Ukrainian Super Cup against Dynamo Kyiv at the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv, becoming the first Italian manager to win the title. Chelsea getting 60m for Mount is superb business! A former playing journeyman - he also had a stint with Romanian club of Cluj dating back to his playing career - De Zerbi made a name for himself in the coaching circle since he took the job at Foggia in 2014. De Zerbi would be delighted by comparisons to Guardiola, and Bacary Sagna has said he sees similarities. A good start to their Serie A campaign has put Sassulo's head coach Roberto De Zerbi under national spotlights once again due to his tactical approach. His centre-backs are his main players in terms of buildup; he wants to suck the press in from the opposition, lure them into a false sense of security and once the press is beaten they can move the ball up the pitch quickly, getting it to their main players in one-v-ones. Graham Potter replaced Thomas Tuchel as Chelsea head coach after three seasons with Brighton. "[34] Three days later, Brighton sealed their place in the 202324 UEFA Europa League after a 11 home draw against champions Manchester City. De Zerbi met with the club owner, Tony Bloom, the chief executive, Paul Barber, and the technical director, David Weir, a few days ago and flew into Sussex on Friday night before watching a behind-closed-doors friendly at the Amex Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Szoboszlai wants to join Liverpool in 60m deal | What would he bring? Roberto De Zerbi. Payment structure delays Rice's 105m move to Arsenal, Arsenal agree 105m deal for Rice | Payment terms still being discussed, Chelsea transfers: Ziyechs Al Nassr move collapses over 'failed medical', Marshall confronted by Crews-Dezurn in fiery face-off at weigh-in, Roberto De Zerbi has been unveiled as new Brighton boss, Roberto De Zerbi has been out of work since leaving Shakhtar Donetsk in July, Former Brighton manager Graham Potter is now in charge at Chelsea. Roberto De Zerbi has been a huge success since arriving at Brighton in September 2022. De Zerbi also revealed he had received the seal of approval for choosing Brighton from Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola. He sets up in 4-3-3, sometimes configured as 4-2-3-1, and likes wingers at the heart of his strategy. Some things will stay inside you for ever. "We have a lot of strong players and I saw a lot of games from the Premier League, I have studied all the players individually. De Zerbi had long been studying Guardiola by the time he got to see Bielsa at work. Roberto De Zerbi enjoys Sassuolos win against Lazio in July 2020. De Zerbi is more than a taskmaster, though. Mason Mount has been an important player for Chelsea since breaking into their first team, but where will he fit in at Man Utd? My TM . "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. The 18-year-old Brighton star wanted by Man Utd and Tottenham. Out of possession, Brighton are a little bit different in how they press compared with under Potter but there are still elements in their defensive structure they need to work on caused by the shift in terms of intensity.De Zerbi is brave and looks an interesting character who the Brighton fans will buy into and like. On paper, it reads as another failure, given the club made an instant return to Serie B. De Zerbi was the only candidate Brighton spoke to. Like a few of this generations leading coaches, De Zerbi counts himself as a Marcelo Bielsa disciple and another of their number is a fan. One of the best things to ever happen to this football club is Roberto De Zerbi. Informative, passionate, entertaining. De Zerbi's track record of eking the best out of his players, overachieving results and sustaining returns to punch among the elite, mirrors what Brighton achieved over three seasons under Potter, and the club can expect a new era of innovation with the Italian at the helm - as the Seagulls look to maintain their trajectory and disrupt the status quo further. Close menu; Profile; History; Stats. Brighton have confirmed that Roberto De Zerbi is the club's new manager, replacing Graham Potter at the helm. The Italian now has two weeks to settle into Brighton and organise his backroom staff with the Premier League players on an international break. "We are delighted to welcome Roberto and we look forward to introducing him to our squad as well as providing all the support he needs to introduce his coaching philosophy and help the players continue their brilliant start to the season.". After progressing through AC Milans youth academy, De Zerbi made his professional breakthrough in Italys lower leagues, with his most significant spell as a goalscoring attacking midfielder coming at Foggia. "The choice of coaching in Ukraine was mine, I had chances to stay in Serie A but I chose to go to Shakhtar," said De Zerbi. De Zerbi is described by players, and himself, as a hammer constantly hammering away to find improvements, never allowing energy levels to drop. He led the club to glory in the Coppa Italia Lega Pro a knockout competition for third-tier Serie C clubs and only missed out on promotion due to a 5-3 aggregate playoff loss to Pisa. His Sassuolo team had the second-highest possession statistics in Serie A in 2019-20 at about 59.5% bettered only by Antonio Contes Internazionale and the preferred structure of his teams has long been clear. Massimiliano Allegri, Stefano Pioli and Eusebio Di Francesco all helped to carve out their reputations by leading Sassuolo, and De Zerbi was given the tools to craft a team in his image. Brighton owner Tony Bloom branded De Zerbi a "natural fit" to take the Amex Stadium club forward after Potter left for Chelsea. In his press conference unveiling him as Brighton manager, De Zerbi said: "It's easy to start working with Brighton, it's easy because of [Graham] Potter's work. Ball-playing centre-backs and a playmaker are, with the goalkeepers help, tasked with attracting the press, then playing through it at speed. When I didnt have the ball, I got nervous and didnt enjoy myself, so as a manager I always keep that thought in mind," he said. Newly-appointed head coach Roberto De Zerbi says the Brighton players suit his style of play. [13][14][15] He left the club in July 2022 as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. His side finished bottom of a Champions League group featuring Real Madrid and Inter, although they were top of Ukraines top flight when the 2021/22 season was aborted due to the Russian invasion of the country. Manager career . It is a potentially career-defining step in a year that, for De Zerbi, has been dizzying. Photograph: Kirsty Wigglesworth/AP Sportblog Brighton & Hove Albion This article is more than 4 months. Roberto De Zerbi was quickly hired by Brighton to replace Graham Potter. There were no bold proclamations about where their present league position might lead, the stated intention being to ensure they remain in the top 10, but he brings with him a tantalising sense of the unknown. De Zerbis interpretation is more in line with that of Juanma Lillo, Pep Guardiolas former assistant at Manchester City, who is credited with inventing the formation in Spain during the 1990s. De Zerbi started his professional career at AC Milan. Manager career . ", MORE:What we learned about Graham Potterafter his first Chelsea match. Barber, who is also deputy chairman, said: We looked at a range of excellent candidates but Roberto was our number one choice from the start and the only person we spoke to. Wins over the likes of Milan and Inter followed, and Sassuolo finished eighth in De Zerbis second and third seasons at the helm. Super 6 is back, bigger and better than ever with a 1,000,000 jackpot. Saturday October 22 sees Brighton take on Premier League champions Manchester City at the Eithad before an Amex showdown against former manager Graham Potter and Chelsea on Saturday October 29. A regular feature of Potters Brighton reign was Guardiola lavishing praise upon the south-coast side. De Zerbi won his second piece of career silverware at Shakhtar when his side beat Dynamo Kyiv to lift the 2021 Ukrainian Super Cup. Analysis and opinion from our chief football writer. [16] He managed to leave the club at the top of the UPL during the unfinished season. The 43-year-old is a fan of Pep Guardiola and Marcelo Biesa, and a voracious student of the game, securing two successive eighth-placed finishes with minnows Sassuolo while backed with considerably less resource than the Italian league's traditional powerhouse clubs, all while selling star players during his tenure. He was Brighton's first choice to replace Graham Potter, who quit to, You can now get Brighton news notifications in the BBC Sport app - find out more, Our coverage of Brighton & Hove Albion is bigger and better than ever before - here's, Everything Albion - go straight to all the best content. Newly-appointed head coach Roberto De Zerbi revealed that Man City manager Pep Guardiola offered to help him. His first stint in the top division with Palermo ended swiftly and unsuccessfully and he was unable to keep promoted Benevento in Serie A in 2018. [8] Despite the side being relegated back to Serie B at the end of the season, De Zerbi was praised for his possession-based, attacking football and transfer business. Before Mauricio Pochettino officially starts work at Chelsea on 1 July, BBC Sport takes a look at the current state of play with the club. The demands Roberto De Zerbi makes of his new Brighton charges will boil down to a three-word edict: fare la partita. De Zerbi used a 4-2-3-1 formation in 32 of his 38 Serie A games during his final season at the helm, and proceeded to use it as his preferred system at Shakhtar. Weir said: Roberto has shown his undoubted ability with his work in Italy and Ukraine, and what he achieved at Sassuolo certainly stands out. Roberto De Zerbi is Brighton's new head coach after signing a four-year contract with the Seagulls. 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. Joo Pedro: Can the Watford star fix Brighton's attacking issues? De Zerbi has a tough task first up when he takes Brighton to Anfield to face Liverpool on October 2. The club said Sunday that the 43-year-old Italian agreed to the . #BHAFC . The clubs first game after the international break is at Liverpool on 1 October, after which they play at home to Tottenham on 8 October. Transfer Centre LIVE! Potter started with three central defenders in almost half of his Premier League games last season, and all but one this term - but the Brighton squad is well-versed in positional fluidity after three years under the new Chelsea manager. The Italian, 43, has been out of work since leaving Shakhtar in July because of the war in Ukraine. [citation needed] After a penalty shootout elimination in a home match against Serie B club Spezia, De Zerbi was sacked on 30 November 2016 and replaced with former team captain Eugenio Corini. He was Brighton's first choice to replace Graham Potter, who quit to take over from Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea this month. Former Napoli midfielder De Zerbi, who impressed during three years in charge at Italian club Sassuolo, has brought his . Brighton hope they have a little genius. 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! He will have more resources to play with on the south coast even if Tony Bloom, sitting to his right, was at pains to rule out significant January expenditure; those riches include the squad at his disposal, which houses a number of attacking midfielders capable of operating in his image. Brighton have highlighted someone who can work within the philosophy they have built over many years and put a new spin on it. 27 Jun 2023 07:00:01 He has been given a unique opportunity, walking into the Premier Leagues fourth-placed club while the garden is rosy, and is prepared to grasp it on his own terms. [29][30] Brighton took redemption over Manchester United on 4 May, with Alexis Mac Allister scoring a 99th minute penalty in what was the only goal of the game and putting Brighton on course for Europe. The graphic below shows how that system of choice affected the players' average positions, with the full-backs typically influencing the game higher up the pitch than the No 6 pairing, while the No 9 played in line with the attacking three up top. My TM . Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi praised former Seagulls manager Graham Potter following the club's win at Chelsea. Personal Record. And of course last season ended in ninth so our vision is to stay in the first 10 teams of the league. The arrival of the 41-year-old Italian is seen as an attempt to restore Shakhtar's reputation after they lost the Ukrainian league title this season to bitter rivals Dynamo Kiev. In the first couple of games I thought it was too hazardous but that is because it is not what I am used to. Last season, he claimed Citys 4-1 win at Brighton was a result comparable to their wins against the likes of Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United. He spent four seasons on loan to lower divisions clubs (Serie B to Serie C2). The Emilia-Romagna club has a long-established reputation for placing its faith in up-and-coming Italian talent, both on the touchline and on the pitch. THE BIGGER PICTURE: De Zerbi has stepped in to take over from Graham Potter, who departed the Seagulls to replace Thomas Tuchel at Chelsea earlier this month. De Zerbi struck a respectful balance at his unveiling on Tuesday, acknowledging the prodigious work of Graham Potter on numerous occasions while leaving no doubt he feels Brighton can evolve further. This was the year when Manuel Locatelli also came to the fore during Euro 2020 and earned a big-money move to Juventus. So what is De Zerbi's style and what will he offer Brighton? They are our beating heart, and the warmth they have shown to me has been truly amazing. His dismissal had been sparked by seven consecutive Serie A defeats and Coppa Italia elimination by second-tier Spezia. 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 also includes Brighton & Hove Albion's Roberto De Zerbi, . That is exciting. "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.". Roberto De Zerbi former footballer from Italy Attacking Midfield last club: AC Trento * Jun 6, 1979 in Brescia, Italy . Roberto De Zerbi hugs Tariq Lamptey after Brighton's 4-1 win over Chelsea last Saturday. 27 Jun 2023 17:51:55 Mike Hewitt/Getty Images CNN A little over a year on from being forced out of Ukraine by war,. "He told me very good things about the club. "I come here very humble because I know where I'm coming to work. I spoke to Pep on Sunday evening, yes. But De Zerbis commitment to playing possession-based, attacking football despite operating with meagre resources won admirers and, in a career-altering turn of events, he caught the attention of Sassuolo. RT @AlbionObsessed: Roberto De Zerbi on the Albion faithful. Perhaps English football holds comparatively few fears for someone who has known airraid sirens and the bomb shelter. When Guardiola and Jrgen Klopp arrived, other coaches needed to adapt and improve to try to counteract their brilliance. "I am absolutely thrilled Roberto has agreed to become our new head coach," said Brighton chairman Tony Bloom. [21] De Zerbi went three games unbeaten against Liverpool in his debut campaign at Brighton, including beating them as defending champions in the FA Cup fourth round on 29 January 2023. Former player: Last club : Trento Retired : Jul 1, 2013 Sub menu. [citation needed], In May 2021 De Zerbi announced he would leave Sassuolo at the end of the season. "Roberto's teams play an exciting and courageous brand of football, and I am confident his style and tactical approach will suit our existing squad superbly.". They are our beating heart, and the warmth they have shown to me has been truly amazing. Fourth in the Premier League, they have not played since Potter's departure, with matches against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace postponed. His availability is a major factor but there is also an attraction in the work he did with Sassuolo. "The players have the right skills and the characteristics, especially mentally, to play my style of football and to play brave, as I want. July 23, 2020 Tactical Analysis A superficial glance at Roberto De Zerbi's career thus far would present a misleading image of one of the most exciting young managers in Europe. De Zerbi signed for Serie A side Napoli from Catania for 2.5 million in 2006. Credit: Hennadii Minchenko/Zuma Press/PA Images. "For me it's very easy to start work at Brighton because I know the work done by Potter before me," Italian De Zerbi told reporters at his official presentation. They have mental characteristics similar to what I want. He told me that if I need he will be very happy to help me, De Zerbi has said. Personal Record. The new Brighton head coach, Roberto De Zerbi, is the latest innovator to make an immediate impact, impressing supporters, coaches and pundits with his style of play. We need a competitive edge and to solve problems. [10] Under his tenure, Sassuolo were praised for their footballing style coupled with overachieving results, which led the small Emilia based club, to two consecutive eighth place spots in the Italian top flight, missing out on UEFA Conference League qualification to Roma, only due to goal difference, at the end of the 202021 Serie A season. Half of the registration rights also sold to Salernitana in 200001 and 200102 season. At first sight, in my opinion, I like much more to control the game, he said.