Roberto De Zerbi’s Premier League experience before his appointment by Tottenham Hotspur amounts to 70 games and 20 months in charge of Brighton & Hove Albion.
It was a rollercoaster ride under the Italian at the Amex Stadium. He steered the club to Europe for the first time in 2022-23, but his departure at the end of the 2023-24 campaign was rooted in disagreements over recruitment policy.
There are pointers to De Zerbi’s playing and leadership style, outlined here by Brighton correspondent Andy Naylor, which fans can expect to see at Tottenham. They start with the last line of defence — or, in De Zerbi-speak, ‘the first line of attack’.
The goalkeeper is an 11th outfield player
“I remember him telling me very early on, the goalkeepers didn’t need to wear gloves in training, I didn’t need to wear gloves and he wanted everything to be with the feet and in possession,” Jack Stern, Brighton’s former goalkeeper coach, says of De Zerbi.
De Zerbi promoted Jason Steele over Robert Sanchez at a crucial moment during the push for Europe in April 2023, due to the former’s precision in possession and better understanding of the best passes to play through the opposition press.
De Zerbi sanctioned the signing of Bart Verbruggen from Anderlecht in the summer of 2023 when Sanchez moved to Chelsea. He rotated Verbruggen and Steele in the 2023-24 season (Verbruggen played 27 times across all competitions, Steele 23) to give the Netherlands international time to bed into his demands.
In the first eight games of that season, 96 per cent of Brighton’s goal kicks ended in their own penalty area, an indication of how important the goalkeeper is to De Zerbi’s build-up patterns. De Zerbi said at the time: “Bart can become one of the best keepers in Europe, but Jason knows better our idea of football.”
Verbruggen has gone on to become Brighton’s established No 1 under De Zerbi’s successor Fabian Hurzeler, while Steele was called up to the England senior squad by Thomas Tuchel for the first time at the age of 35 for recent friendlies against Uruguay and Japan.
Considering Tottenham’s goalkeeper issues and De Zerbi’s high regard for Verbruggen and Steele, it would not be a surprise if he tries to sign one of them in the summer.
Set plays are not De Zerbi’s style
De Zerbi had a lot of support staff at Brighton, many of whom had worked with him at other clubs. They did not include a specialist set-piece coach.
Set plays were not ignored by De Zerbi in preparation, but the main concentration was on build-up and open-play scenarios. This was reflected by the figures for his only full season in charge in 2023-24. Brighton ranked 15th in the table with 10 goals scored from set pieces. They also conceded 10 goals, so there was no net gain.
Neighbours Arsenal have amplified the mounting significance of set plays in the Premier League during the period that De Zerbi worked in France with Marseille. De Zerbi has only added fitness coach Marcattilio Marcattilii and development coach Marcello Quinto to his support staff, suggesting he will lean heavily on Andreas Georgson’s existing expertise for set pieces.
Touchline antics
His teams are fun to watch and De Zerbi’s activity in the technical area is equally entertaining. Exasperated yelling when one of his players chooses a bad passing option, rows with officials and the rival bench and extravagant goal celebrations are all part of the theatre.
At least one touchline ban is almost sure to happen at Tottenham. De Zerbi was shown a red card together with Cristian Stellini, Spurs’ interim at the time, after heated exchanges with his opposite number before and during Brighton’s 2-1 defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in April 2023.
De Zerbi had been banned twice that season after four yellow cards and an earlier red card at the end of a 1-0 home defeat by Fulham for arguing in the tunnel with referee Darren England. De Zerbi was in the stands again for Brighton’s 2-1 defeat away to Tottenham in February 2024 after racking up another three bookings.
How he gets on with players
Most players love playing for De Zerbi because his coaching methods improve their understanding of the game.
Former England midfielder Adam Lallana, a Premier League and Champions League winner before joining Brighton, said during an interview with The Athletic in March 2023: “He’s just made football (make) so much more sense to me since he’s been here. I knew what I enjoyed about football and the feeling I got when I was doing it or was involved in a team doing it, but he’s given me reasons for that.”
Lallana’s sentiments were echoed at the end of that 2022-23 season by central defender Levi Colwill, who was on loan from Chelsea as De Zerbi’s side finished sixth in the table to qualify for the Europa League. “His mentality as a manager is world class and he is definitely going to be one of the best managers in the world — if he’s not already,” Colwill told The Athletic.
De Zerbi fostered relationships away from training and matches by inviting his players to his home for dinner on a rota basis and cooking pasta. But with every carrot, a stick is never too far away. De Zerbi does not shy away from big calls. The aforementioned Sanchez refused to sit on the bench after Steele usurped him.
Leandro Trossard went from scoring a hat-trick in De Zerbi’s first game in charge in a 3-3 draw against Liverpool at Anfield to a move to Arsenal four months later. De Zerbi fell out with the Belgium forward over his attitude. “He changes the team, but he has to understand and to work with my attitude, in my way, because I am the coach, I decide the rules inside the dressing room, only this,” De Zerbi said shortly before Trossard’s departure in January 2023.
Relationship with the top brass
Although it ended badly, De Zerbi generally had a good relationship with Brighton owner-chairman Tony Bloom, chief executive Paul Barber and other executives. His passion for the game is laced with warmth on a personal level.
He has strong opinions about the types of players he wants. At Brighton, he wanted more ready-made, established players in their mid-to-late-twenties age bracket. That did not fit with the club’s model of developing young players, aided by a core group of thirtysomethings to show them the ropes.
Tottenham have more spending power than Brighton (both transfer fees and wages) to attract players, but they are competing with other big clubs to land targets. That could become a problem if De Zerbi’s wish list is not delivered.
Enjoy it while it lasts
Tottenham’s desire to appoint De Zerbi immediately to rescue them from the threat of relegation, rather than his preferred option initially of taking over in the summer, put the Italian and his representative in a strong bargaining position.
A five-year contract is extreme — he signed with Brighton for four years. De Zerbi has lasted no longer than 120 matches in top-flight posts in Italy, Ukraine, England and France.
Thrills, spills and entertaining football are virtually guaranteed — but do not expect longevity.