Roberto De Zerbi says that one of the biggest satisfactions of his career was to see Domenico Berardi and Manuel Locatelli win the Euros with Italy and claims Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke is ‘so underrated.’
The Italian tactician released a long interview with Cronache di Spogliatoio, talking about his experience as a coach and as a footballer and his time at Brighton.
In a previous story published on Football Italia, we reported De Zerbi’s quotes on two Serie A stars, Giacomo Raspadori and Joshua Zirkzee, but there’s more RDZ said in his latest interview with Cronache.
The former Sassuolo boss explained why seeing Berardi and Locatelli win the Euros with Italy in 2021 was one of the biggest satisfactions of his career and revealed his approach with footballers as a coach.
He also said he’d buy Kylian Mbappé if he had an unlimited transfer budget and that he used to argue with his clubs in every transfer window.
Here are the 10 best quotes from his latest interview.
- Read more – De Zerbi’s verdict on two Serie A strikers, Bellingham, Mudryk and Liverpool candidate Xabi Alonso
Evan Ferguson
“Harry Kane is even more complete than Ferguson. He knows how to play 30-40 meters far away from the goal, he delivers assists with the quality of a No.10. He is smart to move away from the penalty box and link up with the team.
“Ferguson is like a sniper but must improve outside the box a little. Not for me. For me and Brighton, it’s enough to have a player born in 2004 with 20 Premier League goals. If he wants to join a top team, he must know that the striker they want must be able to with the team like Lewandowski, Kean, Benzema and Haaland. Being a smart guy with the right commitment Ferguson must work to become more complete.”
Jan Paul van Hecke
“To me, he will reach high levels. He is so underrated. He’s not nice to see. He runs badly, and he is a little uncoordinated, but he is so efficient in duels, with and without the ball. He is a leader with personality.”
Goalkeepers
“We struggled against Manchester City because they relied a lot on the goalkeeper. The same against Liverpool. This season, they [Liverpoo] have even more courage than in the past with the ball. When you face a team that plays man-on-man, you can only play long balls, or pass it to the goalkeeper. Gasperini was the first one to do so [use the goalkeeper]. He is the best coach for man-on-man coverage; he was the first to use it, and he still is the best. I think he has already realised that goalkeepers will be an important weapon in the future.”
Approach
“One and for all, I want to choose the words well. I also play to win. All that I do during the week has one aim: to win. Then, one has to choose how to win games. I believe that having good organisation, helping players speak the same language on the field and knowing what to do in every situation helps win games. It’s something that I feel inside myself. It belongs to me and it represents me and who I am as a person.”
Career
“I’ve been lucky to live football twice. First as a footballer and I made so many bull*****. I argued with so many coaches and I had many injuries. I had more qualities than those I showed, but I had the career I deserved, I only have myself to blame. In this second life as a coach, I am having fun, I have high ambition and I want to win. In my way of work, I want to help other little Robertos express all their talent and quality. I put myself in the players’ shoes.”
Rapport with players
“One of the biggest satisfactions I had in my career was to see Berardi and Locatelli win the Euros. To have trained them and see them win the Euros from my sofa means a lot. I see myself as a player and I try to give them what I didn’t receive, perhaps it was my fault too. That is a great satisfaction.”
Transfers
“Ten years ago, I would have left the club if they hadn’t followed a transfer strategy we had agreed. Now, I need to wait. It’s not about money. It’s about responsibility towards fans and players. I used to argue with my clubs in every transfer window, but now I must alternate. This one? We’ll wait for the end then we’ll see.” (The interview was released on January 31).
Biggest pressure
“The biggest pressure is to be hospitable to those who come to watch training sessions. I visited Guardiola and Bielsa before starting coaching and they welcomed me so well. I’ve never forgotten their warmth, and now, when somebody visits me, I have the pressure to treat them well and answer their questions when they have.”
First speech
“The night before my first training session at Darfo, I couldn’t sleep. Inside myself, I was thinking: ‘What am I going to say to these people who are just a little older than me?’ I was 33 when I started and I was afraid of entering the dressing room. Until I opened the door, I didn’t know what to say, but I immediately felt at ease as soon as I stepped in. I’ve always felt at ease in every technical meeting or training session. I’ve always felt in the right place.”
Which player would he sign with an unlimited transfer budget?
I’d go for Mbappé because those who score, in the end, always put things in the right order.