De Zerbi’s ‘crusade’

Rarely has a Brighton & Hove Albion victory been as celebrated as they were on Saturday at the City Ground in Nottingham (2-3). It’s a small party Roberto De Zerbi and its players improvising on the grass, next to the ‘Seagull’ fans’ stand, is very illustrative of the problems the team is having. This has to do with the many casualties suffered by the ‘Seagulls’, their long string of careful results, overcoming injuries to Ansu Fati and Tariq Lamptey, and the dismissal of the captain for a double yellow Lewis Dunk, in the final stage, with 11 minutes of stoppage time. Also, and above all, because of the refereeing ‘crusade’ that the Italian coach, too nervous because of the pressure, maintained this year in the Premier, which has been happening for a long time.

“I don’t like 80 percent of the referees in England,” he said on the day he was reprimanded for his explosive behavior on the touchline and after arguing with the fourth official, after Brighton, who had only 10 players on the field, for the expulsion of Dahoud, managed to draw with Sheffield United (1-1). The Brighton coach’s criticism of the referees concerned the use of VAR, but also their behavior on the field. “I don’t like the way they act,” he repeated. From Zerbi, with his own reasoning: “England is the only country where Var exists and you are not sure that the decision is correct. I do not understand.” Brighton suffered a number of unfair decisions, and even demanded an apology from PGMOL’s head referee Howard Webb. Speaking of that moment, From Zerbi He said: “I think the level of refereeing in the Premier is very bad. When I talk about referees, I do it in terms of attitude: this is the last time I will have a meeting.

Until the visit to the tough City Ground in Nottingham, the ‘seagulls’ had gone six games without a win, which also explains their nerves and their unleashed final euphoria. The Nottingham game was also a trap for the team From Zerbibecause of the strength in their ‘tricky trees’ stadium and because they had already gone down last year in a painful 3-1, which taught many how to counter From Zerbi. The stimulating attacking football applied by the Italian at Brighton is hampered when facing teams such as Nottingham de Steve Cooper which usually combines a defensive block of two lines that are easy to block. This season Brighton have failed to win three games (Fulham, West Ham United and Everton) where they have had the ball for more than 70% of the time. Clear fruitless reign.

The Forest model challenged him again, and that’s why From Zerbi He was doubly pleased with the ambition of his players, with Ferguson and Joao Pedro, once again, showing their quality in the end. At the end of the confrontation, the red-hot Italian sprinted towards the ‘Seagulls’ fan section and avoided shaking hands with Steve Cooper, a sign of tension and displeasure. From Zerbi He saw his team finally win, he celebrated it as a title and justified it: “I don’t want to disrespect anyone, but we showed great character and that makes me very proud.”