Roberto De Zerbi brought Brighton to Europe and became one of the most popular management sites on the continent. Photo: EPA-EFE/Shutterstock/Peter Powell
When Roberto De Zerbi arrived at the club a year ago, there was a language barrier, confusion among the players and a sea change in the way Brighton players train. As Lewis Dunk recalls, it was «two weeks of carnage» when the Italian tore apart Graham Potter's tried-and-true coaching methods.
Through a translator, De Zerby's changes were radical. Relatively unknown in the Premier League, the methods that have allowed him to stand out as a promising manager at Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk have now been applied at the Amex Stadium to a level of detail never seen before in English football.
His style of football looks risky while Brighton is going through the opposition press, but as Dunk explains, it's all rehearsed. Every day in training, every scenario is step-by-step described from every angle with the precision of a West End game. When Dunk receives the ball in his six-meter zone, he rehearsed his exit depending on the angle of the players chasing him.
But a year ago, when De Zerby came in, things weren't so simple. “To be honest, the first couple of weeks were terrible… I wouldn’t say terrible, they were confusing. The first meeting, when he came in, I was in such confusion — who to look at, what to listen to, and you slowly pick up. Basically, don't listen to the manager, wait for the interpreter to speak, and eventually you'll get there.
“Training has changed dramatically, we've been working on a lot of different things, and the first couple of weeks was a really difficult transition, we were fourth in the league when Graham left and we flew with him and it was a weird time for him to leave and then Roberto came in and it was a carnage for two weeks.”
Brighton's result under De Zerby was a place in Europe, and Dunk regained his place in the England squad five years after his debut against the United States. He started his career trying to emulate John Terry's thunder and blood, but now at 31, he has been changed by De Zerby, who calls him one of Europe's top five centre-backs.
De Zerby hugs Lewis Dunk after Brighton's victory over Chelsea at the Amex last season. Photo: Getty Images/Bryn Lennon
“I see football in a completely different way, I imagine it in a different way and that is the biggest thing. Football is not what I thought. Just like we play now. I thought that what I did before made sense. But when you learn something completely different, you believe in it, and it makes sense. You think, «Why didn't I know that?» and “Why didn’t I do this sooner?” Dunk said.
“The style of play, really. And when to release the ball. All of our games are now based on pressure, playing against opposing teams when they press high and low. When to pass the ball, the time to do so and the time to move. Before, I didn't know about it at all. It's all about the little details.
“It's rehearsed — don't worry about it. We rehearse this every day. This is our training. I couldn't play that position, but now I know every position on the field and where it should be. The time at which they should move and what angles they should give. We practice it so much that we know every scenario. One presses at this angle, the other — under another. We know where the ball has to go to overcome the pressure. We know it from the inside and put many hours into it.”
It's no surprise that De Zerby's success and brand are attracting the attention of other clubs across Europe. When the next important position appears in the Champions League elite, it will inevitably be discussed in the boardrooms.
De Zerby's football is a new style of play, but with a very focused goal of putting his most effective attacking players in the right positions.
“I guess the fans, especially at home, find it intimidating. when we go around the six-meter box – it sounds crazy – but we know the idea of the pass and what we get from it,” said Dunk. “Like he says, we don’t do it to look good, we do it to score on the other side of the field, and we do it to put [Kaoru] Mitoma and Solly March in one-on-one positions. . So there is some method behind this madness.”
Dunk thought he would be a regular for England when he was first called up in 2018, but he had to wait for a second chance. He has always been an England fan and rooted for the players he plays with now.
“Of course I played in England shirts as a kid. I was in Portugal with my friends for one year and Welbs [Danny Welbeck] played against Sweden and he scored and we had a full kit. I have a photo and now I am his captain in Brighton,” he said.
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