The Italian already has plenty of admirers at Anfield and will get another chance to impress in Sunday's Premier League clash
As Roberto De Zerbi marched towards the unsuspecting fourth official during October's clash between Brighton and Liverpool, the intensity and indignation raging in the Italian’s eyes must have felt familiar to Jurgen Klopp. The Reds' manager would have known full well what was coming, so he promptly and strategically placed himself in between De Zerbi and Graham Scott before successfully calming down his counterpart.
De Zerbi remained adamant after the game that his sense of outrage was justified, believing his side should have been awarded a penalty, but had no issue with Klopp’s intervention. “I love Klopp,” he enthused in his post-match press conference. “He can do what he wants. I have big respect for him. I consider him one of the best coaches in the world.”
Hardly surprising, then, that De Zerbi was just as disappointed as everyone else in England (except for maybe Pep Guardiola) when Klopp suddenly announced his intention to leave Liverpool at the end of the season. “If he changes leagues,” the 44-year-old said, “it is not a good thing for the Premier League.” It may prove a positive De Zerbi, though.
Getty ImagesXabi Alonso out of the running?
Xabi Alonso was undoubtedly the most popular choice to succeed Klopp as Liverpool manager. Already a firm fan favourite dating back to his time at Anfield as a player, the Bayer Leverkusen boss also got Klopp's seal of approval shortly after announcing his decision to step down down this summer: "The next generation [of coaches] is already here and I would say Xabi is the standout in that department."
Klopp was also at pains to point out that he wasn't simply heaping praise on the Bayer Leverkusen boss just because Liverpool had reportedly identified Alonso as the ideal candidate to take over. "Even if you would have asked me eight weeks ago about Xabi,” he said, “I would have gone: 'Oh my God!'"
However, Alonso was never the only coach under consideration – which is just as well, given the Spaniard has now revealed that he will stay at the BayArena for another season. According to recent reports, Ruben Amorim is – and always has been – in the running on account of the wonderful job he is doing at Sporting CP – but so, too, is De Zerbi, who, just like Alonso, is greatly admired by not only by Klopp, but also Liverpool's incoming sporting director, Richard Hughes.
Advertisement(C)Getty Images'Best-coached team in the league'
Klopp really couldn't hold De Zerbi in higher esteem, having previously described Brighton as the "best-coached" team in the Premier League. "I am a football lover and if somebody comes in and has the impact Roberto has on football," he said, "it should not be underestimated."
Klopp even confessed ahead of last October's trip to the Amex Stadium that the challenge for his team was to avoid being made to look "silly" again, with Liverpool having been routed 3-0 by Brighton during the 2022-23. It was a chastening defeat that hammered home the fact that the Reds' midfield was running on empty – which ultimately led to a complete overhaul of the engine room last summer. Almost inevitably, Klopp tried to sign two of Brighton's players as part of the rebuild – Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo – but only managed to land the former.
Missing out on the Ecuadorian actually proved a blessing in disguise, of course. As it transpires, not every Brighton player is capable of thriving away from the Amex, but that's arguably because not every departure moves to a club with a coach as adept at De Zerbi at getting the absolute best out of the resources at his disposal.
Getty 'Brighton is the team that resembles me most'
The former Napoli midfielder has previously stated it is his players that deserve all the credit for Brighton’s exciting and effective style of play, for the way in which they wholeheartedly embraced his demanding methodology. But we know that De Zerbi has been the key to Brighton's sustained success.
There were undeniably solid foundations in place when he took over from Graham Potter in September 2022, but he has constructed a team in his own image; one that perfectly embodies his footballing philosophy.
"Brighton is the team that resembles me most of all,” he told the , “the one in which I recognise myself most in terms of character, the one with which I have had the most human relationship, the most harmony."
Veteran midfielder Adam Lallana has acknowledged that Brighton have a great group of players at the Amex, but he was nonetheless astounded by the speed with which De Zerbi got his message across.
"He quickly managed to get so many guys to play in such a specific way – I think that's what makes him so incredible," the Englishman told the . "He got a group of 25 players to follow him, to always stay focused, and to embrace his idea of football."
And that’s precisely why Brighton have managed to continue punching above their weight.
Getty Images'You always see Brighton's football'
Brighton are obviously ridiculously well run, from top to bottom. Their recruitment department is incredible – which is why Chelsea have spent millions of pounds over the past two years trying to lure most of their players and staff to Stamford Bridge. However, Brighton’s business model means that their top talent is always available at the right price, which has been a source of frustration for De Zerbi.
What’s remarkable, though, is that this season he’s managed to cope with the sale of key men, while at the same time regularly rotating his players in order to cope with competing in Europe for the first time in the club’s history. Brighton’s first ever continental campaign may have come to a brutal end, beaten 4-1 on aggregate by Roma, but reaching the last 16 of the Europa League represented a fine achievement for a club of such limited resources with such an adventurous approach to the game.
As Klopp said, "They had a lot of changes last summer, lost top players – one of them we got – and still played incredible football. Different formations, different players, line-ups and yet they took really big steps forward and are still super-consistent. Wow! In the end, you always see Brighton's football and I couldn't respect that more."
