Pep Guardiola believes his colleague Roberto De Zerbi is one of the most influential coaches in football in the past 20 years.
"I felt when De Zerbi arrived, his impact in the Premier League was huge, but I didn't think he would do it in such a short time," Pep Guardiola praised his colleague on Sky Sports on May 23. "No team plays the way Brighton play, they have a unique style of play. Brighton create 20 or 25 chances per game, much better than most of their opponents. He helps Brighton control the ball in a way that no team has done for a long time. They absolutely deserve their success this season and are a team that I try to learn from."
Guardiola (right) and De Zerbi in the first leg of the match between Man City and Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: Reuters
Coach Roberto De Zerbi made history by helping Brighton qualify for the European Cup for the first time in their 121-year history. In addition to the ticket to the continental arena, De Zerbi also made another historic milestone by helping Brighton win the most points in a Premier League season with 61 points, with two games left to break this record.
"De Zerbi is one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years, making Brighton like a Michelin-starred restaurant, very unique," Guardiola continued. "What makes them special is the timing of their decisions. Brighton are masters of when to pass the ball to the empty players - they are the best in the world at that. Their tempo and control of the ball is as good as it was under Potter."
After Graham Potter joined Chelsea at the start of the season, Brighton appointed De Zerbi on a four-year contract. He led Brighton to 19 wins, 6 draws and 12 defeats, qualifying for the European Cup and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals - where they lost to Man Utd on penalties.
Coach De Zerbi is 43 years old this year. He is an attacking midfielder who has played for many Italian clubs such as AC Milan, Salernitana or Napoli and started his coaching career at Darfo Boario. After that, De Zerbi led Foggia, Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo and made a splash at Shakhtar Donetsk. He became the first Italian coach to win the Italian Super Cup when he and Shakhtar defeated Dynamo Kyiv in Kyiv in September 2021, but soon left the club due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Brighton will meet Pep Guardiola's new champions Man City at 2am tomorrow, May 25, Hanoi time. After that, Guardiola's team will face Brentford in the final round of the Premier League, before playing Man Utd in the FA Cup final on June 3 and Inter in the Champions League final on June 11.
Vy Anh
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