Brighton were arguably one of the most exciting sides in the division by playing an attractive brand of football.
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Brighton enjoyed arguably one their best seasons in the Premier League era after securing European football in the recently concluded campaign. At the start of the 2022-23 season, not many believed that Brighton could secure a sixth-place finish. Add to it, they had a managerial change with Graham Potter departing the hot seat to become Chelsea manager. In came Roberto De Zerbi after the season had begun, not an ideal time to kickstart proceedings.
However, it did not take long for Roberto De Zerbi to get his message across to the players and make them play in his style. Brighton were arguably one of the most exciting sides in the division by playing an attractive brand of football. They moved the ball quickly from back to front, making it extremely hard for opponents to defend against it. Besides, Brighton’s pressing game was difficult for many teams to handle, as they closed down opposing players quickly and hurried them into making mistakes.
Former Brighton striker Bobby Zamora has heaped praise on De Zerbi. What Zamora, who scored 90 goals in 162 appearances for the club across two spells, liked the most about the manager is that he does not put pressure on any individual to get the goals. “It was a remarkable season. Did I envisage European football? Probably not. But Roberto De Zerbi has been unbelievable,” he was quoted by the club’s website.
“For me, probably the biggest thing is the number of goals we’ve scored. The football has been free-flowing and [goals have come] from many different areas of the pitch. It’s just down to confidence, which I know well as a striker is so important. There isn’t pressure on a single player to deliver the goals, that makes a massive difference to a squad.”
Notably, Zamora is highly impressed with the way Brighton build up the play from the back. “There is a certain way Roberto wants to build up play, he wants the players to take risks and he has given them the confidence and belief to do that, to wait for the opposition to press and then to play through the lines,” he further added.
“I went to watch training last season and I saw that he is so confident about his style of work. There is no one on the pitch who doesn’t understand what his job is, and that gives the players confidence. Roberto came in with a different way of playing and has absolutely astonished everyone, in terms of how much the players have brought into the way he plays, his methodology and of course his passion. The players adore him.”
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