Europa League: Roberto De Zerbi, the apostle of the beautiful game who wants to bring down OM

England did not give much of his skin when he arrived on the Brighton bench in September 2022. Firstly because it was not going to be easy to continue the thunderous start to the season that the Seagulls achieved under the leadership of Graham Potter, the boss of the club for three years already, poached by Chelsea. Also because his style of play, known to be ambitious and offensive, seemed unsuitable for the demands of the Premier League. It is clear that Roberto De Zerbi has made everyone agree.

Thursday in the Europa League (6:45 p.m.), Olympique Marseille will have to be wary of this 44-year-old Italian who has made Brighton a team that counts across the Channel. There are the results of course, an unexpected sixth place at the end of the 2022-2023 season, synonymous with a first European qualification in the club's history. But there is also the way. For this esthete, it's almost more important than the final score.

“We can decide how we are going to play, but we cannot decide the result,” confided the native of Brescia after this weekend's heavy defeat in the Premier League, on the lawn of Aston Villa. (6-1). A rout for which he takes “full responsibility”, and which he explains by the inexperience of this group in the face of the busy schedule. “It's very hard to play every three days, but we have to adapt. We want to participate in all competitions and we have to show that we are ready to do so. De Zerbi thus promises “another Brighton” against OM on Thursday, because the one seen against Aston Villa “was not the real one”.

What does the 'real Brighton' look like? To a playful, offensive, pleasant team, resolutely forward-looking. To the point of seducing the apostle of the beautiful game par excellence, Pep Guardiola, the coach of Manchester City. “He (Roberto De Zerbi) changes a lot of things in English football. He produces wonderful football. People say it's impossible in the Premier League to move up the pitch from defense. Yet that’s what he does and… incredibly well,” the Spaniard explained during a press conference last season.

His philosophy is based on possession of the ball and movement. The chances often start from the goalkeeper, with short, precise and quick transmissions, fluidity, passing triangles. In the final third of the pitch, on the edge of the area, De Zerbi encourages risk-taking, with creative wingers and attackers. “He is a football madman, very attached to the smallest tactical detail of his team, in both the offensive and defensive phases,” Mehdi Bourabia, who played under the Italian at Sassuolo, confided to Eurosport. He places importance on the enjoyment of the whole team through forward play and possession phases.”

Pleasure, an essential notion for De Zerbi. “If you do this job, the most beautiful in the world, you have to have fun. It’s called a ‘game’, it’s not a coincidence,” he told the Italian daily Libero in 2018, upon his arrival in Sassuolo. It was there, in Emilia-Romagna, that the former striker finally caused a sensation, after two difficult first stints in Serie A, in Palermo (2016) and Benevento (2017-2018). Under De Zerbi, Sassuolo finished 11th, then twice 8th. In May 2021, the tactician signed with Shakhtar Donetsk, in Ukraine. The Russian invasion pushes him to leave the territory in July 2022. The leaders of Brighton are giving it a try. Great good has come to them.

In this seaside resort in East Sussex, his spectacular offensive play works like a miracle. It is not without consequence on the number of goals conceded: despite significant counter-pressing upon losing the ball, Brighton was only the 11th defense in the Premier League last season, at the same time as the 4th attack. After seven days this season, the Seagulls have the best attack… but the 17th defense.

Despite three defeats in the last four meetings, including one against AEK Athens for their entry into the Europa League (2-3), Brighton, currently 6th in the championship, seems to be starting on the same bases as last season. And De Zerbi has gained in maturity. He is no longer just this “rookie” with revolutionary ideas, who was still a player until recently and whose game sequences are dissected by tactical experts. He is also a recognized leader of men, close to his players. “He is an honest and upright man. A very frank coach, who will tell you things to your face, explained Mehdi Bourabia. He is always there to motivate us, he does not let his players down, he has a great psychological influence. He also knows how to take responsibility.”

Roberto De Zerbi is now one of those we draw inspiration from. His disciple at Benevento, Francesco Farioli, is currently 4th in Ligue 1 with OGC Nice and is developing a playing philosophy close to that of Brighton. The English club may not succeed in keeping its tactician on the banks of the Channel forever. It is rumored that Real Madrid have checked his name to replace Carlo Ancelotti at the end of the season. For a deserved jump into the deep end.