Attacking play and big-game wins – Roberto De Zerbi’s first year at Brighton

The eyebrows that had been raised when Brighton changed Graham Potter with Roberto De Zerbi have been put firmly of their place over the past 12 months.

It was on September 18 a yr in the past, solely 10 days after Potter’s departure for Chelsea, that the Seagulls introduced their new boss can be a little-known Italian.

Brighton chairman Tony Bloom had recognized De Zerbi as his subsequent managerial goal a while earlier than after being impressed by his work in Italy with Benevento and Sassuolo, which then continued when he moved to Shakhtar Donetsk.

Arriving at Brighton with little English and massive boots to fill, it was maybe not stunning it was seen as a dangerous transfer however the one query now’s how lengthy the Seagulls will be capable of hold onto him.

De Zerbi didn’t win any of his first 5 video games in cost however thumped Potter’s Chelsea 4-1 for his maiden victory and didn’t look again.

Premier League highlights included the double over Chelsea and wins over Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal whereas in addition they beat Liverpool throughout a run to the semi-finals of the FA Cup that solely ended with a penalty shoot-out loss to United.

Brighton finally completed sixth, securing European soccer for the primary time within the membership’s historical past with a spot within the Europa League.

They usually have picked up the place they left off this season, profitable 4 of their opening 5 matches, together with back-to-back 3-1 wins over Newcastle and Manchester United.

That’s regardless of once more promoting various their star performers, with Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez heading to Chelsea and Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool.

Promoting on gamers and reinvesting the cash in potential stars of the longer term is central to the Brighton mannequin.

Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma, Leandro Trossard, Ben White and Dan Burn have all departed the Amex Stadium for larger Premier League names in latest seasons whereas the likes of Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson are certain to be on many wishlists.

The no-nonsense De Zerbi has clearly had a big effect on the gamers he has labored with, and Lewis Dunk opened up on the Italian’s strategies after regaining his place within the England squad.

“Soccer-wise, for the reason that new supervisor at Brighton has are available I see soccer in a very totally different approach, I image it another way and that’s the largest factor,” he stated earlier this month.

“Soccer is just not what I assumed it was. Simply how we play now. The thought of what I did earlier than, I assumed it made sense. However whenever you be taught one thing fully totally different, you consider in it and this is sensible.

“You assume, ‘Why didn’t I do know this?’ and, ‘Why didn’t I do that earlier than?’

“(I) know each place on the pitch and the place they need to be. The time they need to transfer and what angles they need to give. We see it on daily basis and it makes life easier.”

That focus to element and precision is on the coronary heart of De Zerbi’s footballing philosophy, with Brighton broadly praised for his or her attacking panache and high-energy sport.

Balancing making an attempt to take one other step ahead within the Premier League this season with the calls for of European soccer is a brand new problem for De Zerbi however, based mostly on the final 12 months, it might be no shock if he discovered the precise system.