Roberto De Zerbi believes ‘all those who love football want Napoli to win’ the Serie A title, that Brighton are only at 60 per cent potential and he’d relish working in Germany and Spain after England.
The former Benevento, Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk coach is now making a name for himself in the Premier League at Brighton and Hove Albion, including a thrilling 3-0 victory over Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool at the weekend.
“After the match, I stayed up until dawn watching it back to study and analyse for future use,” the Italian tactician told La Repubblica newspaper.
“It was a deserved victory, but we’ve got to set it aside now, as without the desire to keep improving, we are already dead. This journey has only just begun, we aren’t even at 60-70 per cent of our potential both as a team and individually. We’re searching for something that doesn’t exist – perfection – but have to keep searching anyway.”
Brighton are already going above and beyond expectations, sitting seventh in the Premier League table ahead of Liverpool, but De Zerbi is not one to rest on his laurels.
“It’s wrong to talk about having specific objectives in the table, we just have to try to win every game. Even if we were in the Europa League zone, why shouldn’t we aim higher?”
It has been an unusual career path for De Zerbi, who left Sassuolo for a challenge at Shakhtar Donetsk that turned into a nightmare when Russia suddenly invaded Ukraine.
He was offered a way back home, but refused to evacuate until all his players had been taken to safety.
“I received many messages from Ukrainians congratulating me after the win over Liverpool. The Shakhtar offices were bombed, the training ground was destroyed, it’s tragic. But I expected the Ukrainian people to stand firm and rest assured, they won’t back down even a centimetre. They’d rather die than be subjugated.”
De Zerbi then went to England for Brighton and Hove Albion, who needed a new coach when Chelsea had poached Graham Potter just a few weeks into the campaign.
“I really like the Premier League, there’s very little stress, more fun, courage and enthusiasm, all of which suits my philosophy. Of course I want to win, but the result isn’t everything about football. It is important for a coach to adapt to his players, but not transform his philosophy, as I’ve had the same ideas from Serie D to the Premier League.”
However, De Zerbi is always open to new ideas and experiences, so don’t expect him to stick around for too long.
“As an Italian and a lover of Italian football, of course I still miss Serie A. I don’t know if I’ll return, but I would like to experience football in Germany and Spain in future, because only those experiences abroad complete you as a person. That’s why I always admired Claudio Ranieri, who has worked everywhere.”
His other influences are clearer to see on the field, including one of his Premier League opponents and new friends.
“I learned a lot playing four years for Pasquale Marino, then the other inspiration was Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona, the best team there ever was. Pep is the best coach of all time, because he marked the evolution of football, but that doesn’t mean I am copying him now.
“We speak often, especially as he played in my hometown club Brescia. The player I really wish I could’ve worked with is Lionel Messi.”
Keeping an eye on the current Serie A scene, De Zerbi has no qualms about who he is cheering on in the Scudetto race.
“All those who love football should be happy if Napoli win the Scudetto. I felt the same way about Milan last season.”