Brighton and Hove Albion have made an impressive start to life under Italian Head Coach Roberto De Zerbi, which has fans dreaming of Europe next season.
The Seagulls are preparing to face Liverpool tomorrow at the Amex, with De Zerbi’s first game in charge coming against the Reds in October, where the Albion drew 3-3 with Jurgen Klopp’s men in a thrilling encounter at Anfield.
It took De Zerbi six attempts to win his first game, despite dominant performances against Nottingham Forest (0-0 draw) and Brentford (2-0 defeat), as well as encouraging displays against Tottenham (1-0 defeat) and Manchester City (3-1 defeat). The Seagulls then faced Graham Potter’s Chelsea and dispatched them 4-1, the beginning of the De Zerbi era.
Five wins in nine games have followed and Brighton are looking more and more of a De Zerbi team each time they step out on to the pitch. From a neutral perspective, it would be quite easy to assume the Italian came into the job and carried on with Potter’s methods. However, as time has gone on, the 43-year-old has begun to implement his style on the pitch.
There has been a switch from Potter’s favoured three at the back style to a 4-2-3-1, which De Zerbi used during his time at Sassuolo and Shahktar Donetsk. This has enabled players such as Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March to shine, as well as many others. Mitoma made appearances off the bench for Potter but has been integral to the way Brighton have played under De Zerbi, registering four goals and two assists in all competitions.
March has also benefitted under the new management. He has always been a regular under most of his managers during his career at the Albion and you can see why. Potter converted him into a wing-back, with March’s output as a winger being below par with just 13 goals in 234 appearances for the club proving that. De Zerbi said early on in his Albion tenure that March is a key player for him, especially as he can slot into different roles mid-game, as we saw at Brentford, where he moved to left-back after Pervis Estupinan was substituted. The wide man now has two goals and two assists in his last four appearances, repaying the faith De Zerbi has shown him.
Of course, there are so many other factors to the way De Zerbi has got the Albion playing. Levi Colwill has been impressing alongside skipper Lewis Dunk, Joel Veltman is always dependent and the growing influence of Estupinan and Mitoma has been a feature of their play in the last few weeks.
Moises Caicedo has been a revelation since his Premier League debut in April and the engine of Pascal Gross, who may not be the quickest but runs all day for his manager as well as chipping in with seven goals in all competitions makes him on course for his best scoring season since 2017/18.
De Zerbi often refers to a few of his senior players as ‘teachers’, with Adam Lallana, Gross and Dunk being the main ones on the pitch. Albion have a young squad that are being exposed to Premier League football, with the Italian not hesitant to throw in a young player. He says, “if you are good enough, it doesn’t matter about the age.”
With the likes of Jeremy Sarmiento, Julio Enciso, Andy Moran and Evan Ferguson all impressing the Head Coach in recent weeks, they have been given opportunities to shine. Ferguson scored against Arsenal off the bench and was rewarded with a start at Everton, where he scored again following good work by Sarmiento. Enciso has a clear eye for goal and with the guidance of players like Lallana and game time off the bench, he will only improve. Moran came on at Everton and grabbed an assist in the 2-2 friendly draw with Aston Villa on Albion’s mid-season training break during the World Cup.
There are two Argentinians worth mentioning. We will come onto Alexis Mac Allister shortly but first, wonderkid Facundo Buonanotte is on his way from Rosario Central and it is thought that he will train with the squad for a few days before linking up with Argentina U20s. Buonanotte is an attacking midfielder who can play on the right or in the middle and De Zerbi has already said he can be an important player right away. Now then, Mac Allister. Brighton and Hove Albion have a World Cup winner. Interest in him will inevitably come but Mac Allister continuously says he’s happy at the club and grateful for the people that have helped him since his first day. It wasn’t easy for him, after making his debut at Wolves, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. There he was, staying in a hotel and unable to see or bring his family over. He wasn’t a regular in the team until last season, but he is one of the first names on the team sheet now and hopefully for much longer.
Finally, we are in the January transfer window and with that comes endless rumours from Fabrizio Romano and elsewhere saying Brighton have knocked off £20m from Caicedo’s asking price. The consensus from Tony Bloom and Paul Barber is that they don’t do much business in January, both ins and outs. Unless and obscene amount of money comes in for any of Caicedo, Mac Allister, Robert Sanchez or Leandro Trossard, it is expected that the squad will be the same come January 31st.
It has been reported that with six months left on his contract (Albion hold a one-year trigger extension) that Trossard and his agent have been trying to engineer a move away. At 28, it is understandable that a big move this window or in the summer could be the Belgian’s last chance to move to a ‘big six’ club. However, he may need to take a leaf out of Mac Alluster’s book, otherwise it could be a sour ending to what has been a brilliant stint on the South Coast. Trossard already has seven goals this season and despite the good performances without him, they will need him in the second half of the season.
The Seagulls have Simon Adingra doing well out on loan at Union Saint-Gilliose and it looks likely that he could follow Kaoru Mitoma’s footsteps and play a part next campaign to potentially ease concerns over Trossard leaving. If he is to leave this window or in the summer, it will be a sad way to end his Albion career the way things are right now.
What is for certain, is that Brighton always find replacements. That may need to be the case again in the next six months if they are to continue soaring under De Zerbi.
JG Writes 