All aboard the De Zerbi train for Brighton v Spurs
There is one train that strikes cannot derail this weekend. Roberto De Zerbi takes charge of Brighton at the Amex for the first time when Spurs visit and the excitement and momentum behind the new Albion boss is not just building but it is mighty infectious.
Already, Albion fans have been swept up by his charisma. He has built the sort of connection in a matter of weeks and after just 90 minutes of football with supporters which most managers take months and years to develop.
The way he talks about football. His describing of the Albion as “my club, my players.” His obvious passion on the side lines.
Not since Gus Poyet have Brighton had a boss with this level of personality, capable of eliciting such a reaction almost from the minute he walked through the door.
Drawing 3-3 away at Liverpool in De Zerbi’s opening game probably helped. “Like Graham Potter, but with five shots of espresso,” was how Guy Mowbray described it.
De Zerbi said in his first press conference that he wanted Brighton to be bold and brave under his management. He was drawing an obvious contrast between himself and Potter – something we certainly saw through the intensity and desire to attack at every opportunity displayed at Anfield.
The days when Brighton fans were told that shouting SHOOT is unhelpful are surely over. If anything, De Zerbi will probably be the one leading the cries for his players to have a go.
There will be more risk taking. Sideways pass followed by sideways pass to keep possession will be replaced by a willingness to try and get forward, even if that means potentially losing the ball.
In PlayAmo casino terms, Potter would walk in and bet on red on the roulette table. De Zerbi sticks it all on zero. It seems implausible a De Zerbi coached Brighton will go three months without scoring at the Amex.
Which is why it will be worth making the journey to watch Brighton host Spurs, even with no trains to ferry people to and from Falmer.
Take a bus. Ride a bicycle (speaking from personal experience, don’t drink six pints and crash into a bush by King Alfred on the way home). Flag down a taxi. Fly a magic carpet… do whatever you can to get there.
De Zerbi deserves to have as close to a full attendance – as in actual people rather than tickets sold – as possible for his opening salvo.
And what an opening salvo. In many ways, Spurs are the perfect opponents for De Zerbi to face in his first game in charge of Brighton at the Amex.
They too have their own passionate Italian in charge. Like De Zerbi, Antonio Conte kicks every ball in the technical area. The two of them pacing around in front of the West Stand has the potential for fireworks.
Conte teams play full throttle, intense football. It takes players time to get used to, as a certain Yves Bissouma is finding out.
Bissouma makes his first return to Brighton following his £25 million summer move to Spurs. The midfielder has made just one start with Conte saying last month: “He needs to work, go totally into the idea of football.”
The Albion know only too well that to get the best from Bissouma, he needs patience. It took him 18 months to become established in the starting XI at the Amex.
Whether he will be afforded the same time to make an impact at Spurs is up for debate. If some Tottenham fans are already grumbling about Conte and want him replaced – a world class manager less than one year into a long-term project to transform their club – then how long before Bissouma is written off?
It makes you wonder if Bissouma regrets his move to Spurs. Probably not. Brighton have had little reason to mourn his departure thus far either, with Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo combining to seamlessly replace Bissouma.
De Zerbi said in his pre-Spurs press conference that Caicedo had missed training on Thursday. If the future Ballon d’Or winner was to be ruled out, then it may present De Zerbi with an early opportunity to change to his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation from Potter’s back three.
However De Zerbi sets Brighton up, we know one thing is guaranteed – attacking football. Tottenham for their part have looked good going forward this season but ropey at the back. There is every chance that Brighton v Spurs could be another 3-3, a 4-4, a 5-5, maybe even a 6-6.
And what an atmosphere that would lead to. The Amex was often criticised for the lack of noise during the Potter Era.
This though was as much a result of the lack of goals scored, the few wins and the slow pace lending to sideways and backwards passes.
It is normally what the players do on the pitch that leads to home fans creating an atmosphere. Once everything clicked for Potter at the Amex in May from the 4-0 win over Manchester United onwards, the place has been bouncing.
That United game. West Ham at home. Beating Leeds. The hammering of Leicester. All were lively affairs because the Albion were playing a positive brand of football. De Zerbi wants to deliver performances like that every week. He has the ability to get the Amex rocking.
The new head coach appears to know this. He has already talked about his first game in front of the Albion support and how much it will mean to him.
“I’m happy and excited for my first game in the Brighton stadium. I hope to play a good game and I want to see our fans because I always feel the fans are important. I grew up in the Brescia stadium and the fans are the 12th player in my head. They are very, very important.”
It feels like we are at the start of something special happening to Brighton & Hove Albion. All aboard the De Zerbi train.
