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 year in the past, solely 10 days after Potter’s departure for Chelsea, that the Seagulls introduced their new boss could 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 huge boots to fill, it was maybe not shocking it was seen as a dangerous transfer however the one query now’s how lengthy the Seagulls will have the ability to cling 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 first time within the membership’s historical past with a spot within the Europa League.
And they’ve picked up the place they left off this season, successful 4 of their opening 5 matches, together with back-to-back 3-1 wins over Newcastle and Manchester United.
That is regardless of once more promoting quite a lot of their star performers, with Moises Caicedo and Robert Sanchez heading to Chelsea and Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool.
Selling on gamers and reinvesting the cash in potential stars of the long run 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 positive to be on many wishlists.
The no-nonsense De Zerbi has clearly had a huge impact 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.
“Football-wise, since the new manager at Brighton has come in I see football in a completely different way, I picture it in a different way and that is the biggest thing,” he stated earlier this month.
“Football will not be what I believed it was. Just how we play now. The thought of what I did earlier than, I believed it made sense. But if you study one thing fully totally different, you imagine in it and this is sensible.
“You suppose, ‘Why didn’t I do know this?’ and, ‘Why didn’t I do that earlier than?’
“(I) know every position on the pitch and where they should be. The time they should move and what angles they should give. We see it every day and it makes life simpler.”
That consideration to element and precision is at the guts of De Zerbi’s footballing philosophy, with Brighton broadly praised for his or her attacking panache and high-energy recreation.
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 will be no shock if he discovered the best formulation.
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