Roberto De Zerbi

acid_fuji

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jul 23, 2022
Messages
133
Laziest sports narrative ever. Oh look we tried hiring a world class manager and he failed. Let's try a bum instead!
well, I do believe de zerbi is great but so was Ten Hag in previous jobs. I really do not think De Zerbi would have done any better job than Ten Hag. Brighton is just well organized club and that is big part of the success.
 

Cathy Ferguson

Full Member
Joined
Oct 31, 2010
Messages
3,966
An the wheels on the bus go round and round , round and round , round and round lets drive ETH into the ground……..do some of you actually know anything of what has unfolded at this club over 10 years, or do you wipe the hard drive and reset every 2 weeks.
Of course the Glazers are the main problem but they have not sold yet.

Early days still, but ETH needs to sort our midfield out which is not trivial and on top of that we have a kid up front and Antony out wide. Of course it might work but no other top club is run this way like we are PSV Eindhoven.
 

Cheimoon

Made of cheese
Scout
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
14,391
Location
Canada
Supports
no-one in particular
I mean, the analogy is moving for a Poch instead of Mourinho at that juncture, given Poch at the time and De Zerbi share(d) equivalent levels of managerial experience and Poch was tipped even at Southampton/early Tottenham by influential people within the club (like SAF) as a potential candidate well prior to getting Tottenham to CL finals, competing for the league etc.

I want ETH to succeed, and there are some 'positive' aspects he's definitely brought in compared to the previous couple of managers, but the potential issues are not just 'structural' (a lot of them are, of course, with ownership, recruitment system etc). He's taking decisions around where to invest and what kind of profile of player to bring in which look unwise from the outside., based on what we've seen go wrong with previous managers - specifically (not ) creating a balanced midfield, (not) instilling a 'modern' style of play which isn't reliant upon moments or just transitioning on the break. He might turn it round but it's reasonable to speculate what a replacement plan - and manager -might look like. Not like properly run clubs don't do this kind of contingency planning as well as thinking about successions.
What does ETH have to turn around exactly?
Ongoing flaws in midfield, for one. The closest we've had to one in recent memory was when Matic was in his 1st season and we also had Herrera in there.

Cas and Eriksen were temporary solutions, rather than a transformation of our midfield set-up. Even at the time we were getting over-run too often, and now both seem physically spent or at least even slower, and Mount doesn't look like a number 8 that can deal with defending And creating things in an essentially 2 man midfield (given how 'free' Bruno plays as the other attacking 8). There are financial constraints, sure, but there are also lots of midfielders who could make us more balanced and were available for less than Mount. Ideally, we should be signing two, partly by getting rid of players who can't deal consistently with top-level technical and positioning-orientated game, like McT, even if we're holding out hope for Mainoo, and then maybe Gore next season.

Look at how clubs lke City recruit in depth around profiles; PSG have focused a lot more on midfield in last 2 years and brought in a spread of options, and look more balanced (it's more forward indiscipline that has cost them in CL). Real Madrid ensure that they consolidate midfield options and have a balance. Even Brighton now are grounded in having at least 5 first team 'options' for 3 slots that can all fit in even as they do slightly different things.
Sure we should add one more midfielder at least but this is just one of Mount bashing posts which have been in abundance. Basically he cant do anything apparently.
Cant wait till the season is over and we're 8th.
I'm not bashing Mount. I'm saying he's not the player to play as a double 8 in this particular midfield set up alongside these particular players. No issues with him as a Bruno back-up or putting pressure on Antony as an industrious wide forward (with better decision-making than Antony), now that he's in the squad, even though I don't think RFW is his natural position either.

And 8th is a real danger (or worse- Chelsea had a very decent squad on paper last season, and how did they end up doing; ETHs clearly better than Lampard, sure, but the competition is even more fierce) unless we recruit quickly and/or he changes approach quickly or Hojlund comes in and is a miracle. I don't want to see us that low, but people have to be prepared for the side struggling to win games this time around.
8th place was a joke but seems you think that seriously.
Well, it's about interpretations. But I'd just keep in mind that no-one, aside from City, is guaranteed top 4.

There are sides below us building better foundations- even Villa, who got thrashed last game, had spells of playing more fluently than we did against Spurs and have a more solid midfield. 10th or 11th might be an exaggeration, but falling to 7th, for instance, is not a tall order; 8th if Rashford proves erratic. No-one seems as lax about creating a cohesive team as us - the only unequivocal improvement has been with the goalkeeper and being able to play a higher line/relieve pressure through having Onana to recirculate.
Going from 3rd to 8th would be a big fall from grace, even though our transfer window has been bad if we keep our home record and improve our away form I dont think we'll fall that far. Not all of 7 or 8 clubs will have a great season in the same time, it never happens that way.
Höjlund must be huge success if we are to finish top 4. De Zerbi should be our next manager. Can easily see us missing CL football next season.
An the wheels on the bus go round and round , round and round , round and round lets drive ETH into the ground……..do some of you actually know anything of what has unfolded at this club over 10 years, or do you wipe the hard drive and reset every 2 weeks.
I feel sorry for ETH and am angry at him too, he inherited players who are anathema to any progressive style of play in Fred, Scott, Maguire, Bruno, Rashford and De Gea. The latter three were/are important cogs due to their individual ability but lack any for of tactical discipline and are quick to lose focus when things don't go their way. It's a killer in that when Bruno and Rashford lose their heads we also lose our way because it is they who are the architects of any forward play we might conjure up.

Where he hasn't helped himself is in wasting 140m on Antony and Mount. I feel, favoritism aside, Amad/Pellistiri and Mainoo/Meijbri, can provide whatever he hoped to gain from those two buys. His insistence on those two cornered us into spending eye-watering amounts that have hamstrung us to the point that we can't even add another midfielder. That's on him.

Rangnick did mention that we needed major surgery and he was run out of town. We disregarded his team building expertise because he failed as a coach - a role he hadn't played in over ten years which we enlisted him to attempt a salvage job in six months. Like in 2019 where Woodward prematurely went for Ole instead of bringing in a DOF first and then conducting a proper managerial search the decision to turn on Ralph could be another watershed moment because the same issue we had under Van Gaal, Mourinho and Ole has crept up - we now have an expensive, imbalanced and ill for purpose squad that will take years and hundreds of millions to rectify.
Of course the Glazers are the main problem but they have not sold yet.

Early days still, but ETH needs to sort our midfield out which is not trivial and on top of that we have a kid up front and Antony out wide. Of course it might work but no other top club is run this way like we are PSV Eindhoven.
I get the comparisons with Ten Hag, but let's leave the full-on Ten Hag/United posts for United threads please. This is the De Zerbi thread.
 

JB08

Searches for nude pics of Marcos Rojo
Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
8,491
They've lost Caicedo and Mac Allister and have only played Luton and Wolves so far. Come back in a two months when they've played us, Newcastle, Villa, Liverpool and City and we'll see how they are doing.

I agree generally that he has done a fantastic job though. I'm a fan of his for sure.
Add West Ham to this I suppose.... the bed wetting on this forum so far this season has been ridiculous.
 

Ghirahim

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Apr 5, 2023
Messages
250
Moyes did a Mourinho, he parked 5 buses. Brighton dominated possession but could not break West Ham down.
 

mu4c_20le

Full Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
45,039
They got done by mistakes at the back, only difference is he didn't have a Bruno and Rashford.
 

pocco

loco
Joined
Mar 17, 2010
Messages
23,065
Location
Keep a clean shit tomorrow, United is my final bus
Wonder where we'll go now after ETH gets sacked? Moyes? :lol:

Nah Brighton will be fine. They do need to start investing this money though or they'll become another Southampton. Milner has no right starting in the PL anymore, they need quality in midfield to replace what's left. Their system and coaching will take them so far but is it going to be enough if he's not backed?

Surprised Dahoud is on the bench now, see their first game of the season and he looked good.
 

Chief123

Full Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2013
Messages
12,787
Add West Ham to this I suppose.... the bed wetting on this forum so far this season has been ridiculous.
Today is one of those matches that will go under the radar and be ignored. Then Brighton and de zerbi will be brought up again when they get their next win and it will be made out they are destroying every team they come up against.
 

Lights Out

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jul 20, 2021
Messages
832
Imagine the media dissection of the whole club if United lost 3-1 at home to West Ham
 

Cheimoon

Made of cheese
Scout
Joined
Jun 22, 2020
Messages
14,391
Location
Canada
Supports
no-one in particular
Imagine the media dissection of the whole club if United lost 3-1 at home to West Ham
Cause Brighton and United have similar profiles, have invested similar amounts in their team, and similar expectations for their seasons. So yes, very unfair that De Zerbi is not held to the same standards as Ten Hag.

I think all the comparisons and salivating over De Zerbi are rather short-sighted (and forget what profile Ten Hag had when he joined United); but the inverse that's happening here now is just as nonsensical.
 

Oranges038

Full Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
12,649
Watch them free fall into a relegation battle.

De Zerbi will be sacked by Christmas and all the talk of him being the next big thing will be laughed at.
 

izec

Full Member
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Messages
27,461
Location
Lucilinburhuc
The issue is Brighton is a well oiled machine, easy for a decent manager to look good. You just dont know how much impact the manager has and how much it is the system behind it, as from the outside, they are just a unity. Similar to ETH and Ajax back then...
 

Baxquux

Full Member
Joined
Aug 19, 2022
Messages
1,279
Watch them free fall into a relegation battle.

De Zerbi will be sacked by Christmas and all the talk of him being the next big thing will be laughed at.
This won't happen. I'm not cash flush but I'd stake an even £100 Brighton won't finish below 9th. They've already signed Caicedo's replacement (someone United probably should have looked at, if Brighton's record and descriptions of player are anything to go by) for one...
 

mu4c_20le

Full Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2013
Messages
45,039
This won't happen. I'm not cash flush but I'd stake an even £100 Brighton won't finish below 9th. They've already signed Caicedo's replacement (someone United probably should have looked at, if Brighton's record and descriptions of player are anything to go by) for one...
James Milner?
 

Samid

He's no Bilal Ilyas Jhandir
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
49,948
Location
Oslo, Norway
He's an oddball. Dropping your GK after winning the first two games. Announcing the day before the match which CF you're going to start. Either he's getting complacent and underestimating the league or he's just super weird.
 

Oranges038

Full Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
12,649
This won't happen. I'm not cash flush but I'd stake an even £100 Brighton won't finish below 9th. They've already signed Caicedo's replacement (someone United probably should have looked at, if Brighton's record and descriptions of player are anything to go by) for one...
A few wierd selection decsions and a couple of bad results after losing a few players is all it takes for the nose dive to happen. Confidence goes, few mistakes start to creep in and before you know it you find yourself in a relegation battle and you're out the door.
 

KeanoMagicHat

Full Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2019
Messages
4,174
Watch them free fall into a relegation battle.

De Zerbi will be sacked by Christmas and all the talk of him being the next big thing will be laughed at.
fecking hell, knee jerk much? Won their first two games 4-1 and top of the league but one bad game and they're going to end up in a relegation battle, despite the fact there is some proper crap at the bottom of the table.
 

Oranges038

Full Member
Joined
Oct 19, 2020
Messages
12,649
fecking hell, knee jerk much? Won their first two games 4-1 and top of the league but one bad game and they're going to end up in a relegation battle, despite the fact there is some proper crap at the bottom of the table.
Wishful thinking.

Sick of the love in already.
 

Jazz

Just in case anyone missed it. I don't like Mount.
Joined
Feb 11, 2014
Messages
31,143
He's an oddball. Dropping your GK after winning the first two games. Announcing the day before the match which CF you're going to start. Either he's getting complacent and underestimating the league or he's just super weird.
Or beginning to believe the hype about him...?
 

V.O.

Last Man Standing finalist 2019/20
Joined
Jan 12, 2019
Messages
8,283
He's an oddball. Dropping your GK after winning the first two games. Announcing the day before the match which CF you're going to start. Either he's getting complacent and underestimating the league or he's just super weird.
To be fair, he's in a league with Pep, Klopp, Arteta, Ten Hag, Emery, Frank... it's basically a requirement to be super weird to be a half decent manager now.
 

Big Ben Foster

Correctly predicted Portugal to win Euro 2016
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Messages
13,522
Location
BR -> MI -> TX
Supports
Also support Vasco da Gama
The issue is Brighton is a well oiled machine, easy for a decent manager to look good. You just dont know how much impact the manager has and how much it is the system behind it, as from the outside, they are just a unity. Similar to ETH and Ajax back then...
Exactly. Structure is everything.
 

Revan

Assumptionman
Joined
Dec 19, 2011
Messages
50,014
Location
London
You know he is doing a great job when people are so bitter, and so shocked that they lost a match.

They have a negative net spent of 100m this summer. Imagine if we sold Casemiro and Bruno and most of the money was not reinvested. We still cry about Ronaldo's movie going to Glazers.
 

city-puma

Full Member
Joined
Dec 10, 2020
Messages
3,367
Location
NYC
Will find out his true ability when more teams playing them with low block.
 

Samid

He's no Bilal Ilyas Jhandir
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
49,948
Location
Oslo, Norway
One of the all time great managers shouldn't be losing home games against Moyes.

 

The Boy

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2014
Messages
4,504
Supports
Brighton and Hove Albion
One of the all time great managers shouldn't be losing home games against Moyes.

Pep lost to Moyes, he’s also lost to Hodgson, he lost 4 times to Ole, he lost to Southampton under Hassenhuttl and a few times to Wolves under Nuno.

It’s football, no one judges on one game. Last season we lost to Everton in the run in, bad games happen. At least in this one we totally dominated possession, we just didn’t do enough with it. We were never going to win every game.

If the odd result like this means everyone thinks RDZ is rubbish then they’re worth it for us to keep him.
 

gajender

Full Member
Joined
May 7, 2016
Messages
4,013
Pep lost to Moyes, he’s also lost to Hodgson, he lost 4 times to Ole, he lost to Southampton under Hassenhuttl and a few times to Wolves under Nuno.

It’s football, no one judges on one game. Last season we lost to Everton in the run in, bad games happen. At least in this one we totally dominated possession, we just didn’t do enough with it. We were never going to win every game.

If the odd result like this means everyone thinks RDZ is rubbish then they’re worth it for us to keep him.
Spot on but I believe @Samid is wumming any way , but Jaimie Redknapp is definitely talking out of his ass .
 

Samid

He's no Bilal Ilyas Jhandir
Joined
Dec 12, 2012
Messages
49,948
Location
Oslo, Norway
Learned his lesson from last week. Was never going to lose to two English managers in a row.
 

slored1

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2016
Messages
3,532
Brighton is just a delightful team to watch. He is a truly special manager, the players are always getting better, no matter who plays on the day. If EtH fails (hopefully not), he would be my first choice to replace him.