One year of Roberto De Zerbi
There were 13 minutes to go until the United Kingdom was to observe a nationwide one minute silence for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II when, with typically impeccable timing, Brighton & Hove Albion announced they had appointed a new manager – Mister Roberto De Zerbi.
Only the Albion could forget about the upcoming tribute to the woman who sat on the throne for 70 years, choosing to reveal a huge piece of breaking news which could have waited until 8.02pm after the country had fallen quiet.
Nine minutes after the De Zerbi announcement and four minutes before the silence, the club Twitter account rushed out a post about reflecting on the Queen’s life and legacy. Too late, Brighton had already unleashed chaos in the build up to a poignant moment in the life of the country.
That the De Zerbi era started in said chaos has proven rather apt. The past year has been an utter roller coaster with just one dull moment – the 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest in De Zerbi’s third game in charge. That evening feels like it belongs to a different era altogether.
The charismatic Italian head coach has led the Albion to heights never previously climbed whilst forging a bond with Seagulls supporters unlike almost any manager bar the early years of Gus Poyet.
Brighton have not so much cracked the glass ceiling to the top six but taken a sledgehammer to it. And it is no fluke. The Albion play a unique and innovative brand of football designed to provide goals, goals, goals.
To describe Brighton as one of the best teams in the world to watch is no exaggeration. De Zerbi is special and destined to manage one of the biggest clubs on the planet and win every trophy going.
As Albion fans, all we can do is enjoy him whilst he is at the Amex and marvel in the fact we are privileged enough to see a genius at work.
When De Zerbi arrived at Brighton, he was clever enough to initially keep things as they were under Graham Potter. The Albion were flying high in fourth spot, so why change what was working?
Early performances were good but results not so much. It seems absolutely mad now, but De Zerbi became the first ever Brighton manager who failed to win any of his first four games in charge.
Four games in which the Seagulls stuck with Potter’s 3-5-2. With delicious irony, De Zerbi opted for the visit of Glow Up Graham and his Chelsea side to the Amex as the first occasion in which the new head coach stamped his style on the side.
In came 4-2-3-1. Nobody needs reminding of what followed. One of the most stunning results in Albion history as Chelsea were totally and utterly humiliated 4-1 in an electric atmosphere.
The most lazy piece of analysis of the De Zerbi Era so far is to say that he merely inherited a good team from Potter and kept running with what Glow Up had done.
Remarkably, there are so-called experts out there who continue to peddle this. The truth is De Zerbi changed the Albion’s formation, style of play and much more beyond.
Possession for the sake of possession and picking positions from a hat were out. In came inverted wingers and passes played for a purpose – namely drawing the opposition press and then breaking around it in lightning quick fashion.
The football is from another planet as results show. Two victories over Liverpool at the Amex in the space of a fortnight. The hammering of Chelsea followed by a first ever victory at Stamford Bridge.
Manchester United beaten home and away. Arsenal seeing their slim title hopes dented by Brighton triumphing 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.
Even Manchester City struggled against DeZerbiBall, their 14 game winning streak ended in a 1-1 Amex draw which confirmed the Seagulls’ Europa League participation.
Those are all examples of DeZerbiBall working. Occasionally though, it doesn’t work. And when it doesn’t work, things tend to go spectacularly wrong.
Brighton 1-5 Everton is the shining example but there were multigoal defeats at Forest and Newcastle United too. The positive of this penchant for either sinking or swimming is that the Albion are never dull, even in defeat. Give me that over the long periods of tedium served up by Potter.
The other noticeable change De Zerbi has made in his year at the helm has been to the mindset of Brighton, from boardroom to pitch to terraces.
Potter used to love playing the card of the Albion being a small team. Each opponent were brilliant and every Premier League point picked up a miracle, even when it was from a 0-0 home draw with rock-bottom Norwich City.
The implication always seemed to be that Brighton supporters should be eternally grateful to Potter for their place in the top flight.
Hence his infamous “history lesson” comments when 50-odd fans booed having seen Brighton fail to score at home once again in the midst of a 12 game winless streak.
De Zerbi in contrast has created this belief that the Albion can and should be competing with the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and United.
“I am not going to Old Trafford to be a tourist” were the words of the man himself before Brighton went and won 3-1 against United at the Theatre of Dreams.
De Zerbi talks about Brighton being a big club and demands victory in every game. The impact this belief has had on individual players like Solly March and Adam Lallana whose output has been magnified many times over since De Zerbi arrived is obvious.
This winning mentality shined through most clearly following the Albion’s elimination on penalties from the Carabao Cup at League One Charlton Athletic.
Most managers would sweep such a result under the carpet, dismissing the competition as unimportant. Not De Zerbi. Weeks later he was still seething about what happened at the Valley.
When you look back at the important moments from De Zerbi’s first year in charge, the fire that Charlton defeat lit under De Zerbi and the players is massive. Ultimately, it carried them into sixth place and all the way to an FA Cup semi final at Wembley.
You would not bet against Brighton returning to the national stadium this season. Whereas the Premier League was the be-all and end-all for Potter and almost every other boss in the top flight, De Zerbi makes no secret of his desire for silverware.
He will set out to win the Carabao Cup, the FA Cup and the Europa League. That attitude has subsequently worn off on Albion fans, with 58 percent of Brighton supporters believing De Zerbi will win a trophy as Seagulls boss. Like we said, expectations and mindsets have been totally transformed.
Where then do the Albion go in the second year of De Zerbi? Upwards seems to be the answer, adding to the significant amount of history he has already made in 12 months at the helm.
All the while De Zerbi remains at the Amex, anything seems possible. The man can convince Barcelona’s number 10 to join Brighton on loan.
He can turn March into the Premier League’s leading scorer. He can get Pascal Gross a long-deserved call up to the Germany national team. He can get Lewis Dunk back into the England setup.
Such has been De Zerbi’s impression on English football that the Three Lions Under 21s even played DeZerbiBall at the European Championships. Naturally, doing so resulted in them winning the tournament and ending a 40-year wait for a title at Under 21 level.
The only potential speedbump in the road is what happens when De Zerbi leaves. Because at some point, he will. Manchester City seems the obvious fit, one world-class revolutionary coach replacing another should De Zerbi take over when Pep Guardiola calls it a day.
A return to Italy should not be ruled out either. One can only imagine how much De Zerbi as a proud Italian would enjoy restoring the glory days to one of his home nation’s most famous sides.
“Other clubs can buy our players,” De Zerbi said during the Moises Caicedo transfer saga. “But they cannot buy our spirt and soul.”
And whilst that maybe true, De Zerbi is the embodiment of that spirit and soul. He is the perfect fit to manage Brighton, a head coach who just gets this club and has therefore managed to transform it to secure a legacy which will never be forgotten.
All of that in just 12 months. God knows what year two will bring. It is going to be bloody good fun finding out.
