Barely two years have passed since chairmen and chief executives up and down the land were urging their recruitment teams to find the next Roberto De Zerbi.
Dancing around his technical area with his natty black jumpers, spiky hair and immaculately tended beard, De Zerbi bewitched the boardrooms of the Premier League for most of his 21 months as Brighton coach from 2022-24.
Arrigo Sacchi, architect of the era-defining AC Milan teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, called De Zerbi ‘the most exciting coach of his generation, ready for a big job… he wants to innovate, go beyond the present and find different solutions for the future’. Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp have praised him often.
Back then, it was hard to imagine that the 46-year-old’s next task in England would be to pull one of its most famous clubs clear of relegation. De Zerbi is known to keep a pen and paper at his bedside to record flashes of inspiration he may have in the early hours. If he takes the Tottenham job, those notebooks will fill up pretty quickly.
One thing is certain: it won’t be a smooth ride. The Italian had a spiky relationship with his bosses at Brighton and it was a similar story at Marseille. De Zerbi does it his way and if players or executives don’t like it, tough.
Undoubtedly, De Zerbi has the personality to bring both players and supporters onside for these final few weeks of the campaign. It will be fascinating, though, to see how much he tries to change. If he tries to rip everything up rather than merely tweaking, he may struggle to deliver the immediate bounce Spurs need.
Roberto De Zerbi looks likely to take the Tottenham job – and it will be fascinating to see how the talented but combustible coach gets on in north London
Just a little over two years ago, Premier League executives up and down the country were enamoured with former Sassuolo boss De Zerbi
The initial impact
De Zerbi had been at Brighton for less than a month and several alarmed players were tapping out messages to their agents. ‘Get me out of this place,’ was the general tone.
The early training sessions had left members of the squad so baffled that they did not believe they could play for their new manager.
In some drills, players would be asked simply to move around the pitch at walking pace without the ball. ‘How will this work in an actual game?’ they would ask each other. ‘Shocking’ was one of the more diplomatic words used about the sessions.
The initial results – two draws and three defeats – suggested the players had a point. Then came the 4-1 win over Chelsea on October 29, 2022.
The Blues were managed by Graham Potter, whose departure from Brighton had paved the way for De Zerbi. From then it clicked and the squad saw the light.
Instead of questioning the training programme, players soon marvelled at how easy it was to follow. Because they knew exactly where a team-mate would be, virtually to the blade of grass, they could play passes ‘blind’ under pressure and escape even the most intense press.
Sure enough, in the 2022-23 season, Brighton finished sixth and qualified for the Europa League. What’s not to like?
The Italian’s first training sessions at Brighton left many players bemused – but they later marvelled at their impact
Unfortunately, there is a downside. ‘His teams play good football, but it’s risky,’ explains one veteran coach. ‘If they get it right it looks brilliant, but if it goes wrong, it can go horribly wrong. They leave themselves so exposed that it has to be perfect.’
His teams like to build from the back using their goalkeeper and centre backs, with short passes into midfield to try to create one-against-one duels on the flanks.
Yet analysts have long since noted that when they lose the ball, De Zerbi teams are vulnerable to the counter attack, often leaving themselves two-against-two or three-against-three.
‘There are so many players ahead of the ball that if they don’t get it to one of them, they’re in big trouble,’ observes another senior football figure.
Key relationships
Long before he left Sassuolo, a small Italian club punching above its weight in Serie A, for Ukrainian giants Shakhtar in May 2021, De Zerbi was making a name for himself in England.
There were meetings with agents and recruitment experts who work closely with Premier League clubs and their impressions then are intriguing to look back on now.
‘Great guy – full of energy and ideas,’ said one. ‘But some doubts about how he would translate to an English audience.’
‘Impressive,’ added another. ‘He was more interested in a sporting challenge than financial reward.’ He is believed to have rejected advances from Inter Milan for precisely this reason.
Despite his obsession with tactics and coaching, De Zerbi is not content simply to stay in his lane, which has often caused friction. Recruitment staff at Brighton were occasionally taken aback by his lack of enthusiasm for possible targets, especially at a club whose scouting and talent ID structure are the envy of the world game.
Daily Mail Sport understands many of these players would be dismissed immediately, before staff had chance to go through the detail.
The signings of midfielder Mahmoud Dahoud and defender Igor Julio for Brighton in summer 2023 were thought to have been advanced by De Zerbi but neither made a significant impression. The summer after he left, Brighton spent about £200million on new players. That told its own story.
De Zerbi likes to get involved in recruitment – with Igor Julio (left) one of the players he advanced while at Brighton. The Brazilian struggled to become a regular on the south coast
While a magnetic personality, De Zerbi is not a natural figurehead like Klopp, preferring instead to stay close to his tight circle of Italian colleagues.
On the other hand, De Zerbi develops strong bonds with his players, to the extent that as war in Ukraine began four years ago, he stayed with his Shakhtar squad in their hotel basement rather than accepting an instant route back to Italy.
Many swear by his footballing style though his advice must be carried out to the letter, with scant room for improvisation. Yet big-name players have egos to match and often think they know better than their coach, especially one still without a major trophy in Europe’s top five leagues to his name.
De Zerbi has a healthy ego of his own and is not one who would naturally try to placate or compromise. That is unlikely to change now, even though Tottenham are staring at the Championship.
Risk v reward
De Zerbi’s stint at Marseille followed a familiar pattern: unpredictable behaviour and wildly differing performances, with some brilliant and some awful. Finishing second in his first season was a triumph yet in the second, there was continual turbulence. The timing of his departure – 2.35am on February 11 – seemed somehow fitting.
Tottenham risk upsetting their fanbase should they appoint De Zerbi, with supporters launching a ‘No To De Zerbi’ campaign last Friday owing to his backing of former Manchester United forward Mason Greenwood, who flourished under De Zerbi in the south of France.
De Zerbi’s backing of Mason Greenwood while at former club Marseille has led to protests from some quarters of the Tottenham fanbase
Risk or reward. That has always been the conundrum with De Zerbi.
Is the fabulous attacking football worth it for the defensive vulnerability it brings? Do De Zerbi’s brilliant ideas and training methods mean employers can turn a blind eye to the friction behind the scenes and the penalties for berating officials?
Will the Tottenham players, many with questionable attitudes, accept his tactical micromanagement?
Europe’s top clubs have pondered this dilemma at length when weighing whether to appoint him. Unfortunately, Tottenham have neither the time for reflection nor margin for error. This one has to work.
