The manager after the six goals conceded by Aston Villa: “This must become the most important day of our season”
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dchinellato
– birmingham
Roberto De Zerbi doesn’t fit. “This wasn’t the real Brighton.” He says this after having managed the worst match of his management, after becoming the coach of his team’s worst defeat in the Premier League. For the Italian coach, the 6-1 that the seagulls received at Aston Villa is not a physical question, of the commitments that accumulate between the championship and the cups, but above all mental: “It is clear that we are not ready to compete every 3 days ” he says. Where to compete is the key word, because Brighton, which before the Europa League entered the menu, had destroyed Manchester United and Newcastle by playing the best football in the Premier League, has left room for a team that has lost three of its last 4 matches. With the trip to Marseille and the visit of Liverpool on the horizon.
change of pace
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De Zerbi takes responsibility for the historic defeat in Birmingham (“When you lose like this, when you lose 6-1, the blame lies first and foremost with the coach”) but it is clear that the message he sends from the history-filled press room of the Aston Villa stadium is aimed first of all at its players: “For Brighton it should be an honor to play in the Europa League, it should be an honor to fight to become a top-level team. An honor, not pressure – he says with a rising tone of voice and he manages to hide his anger with more difficulty than before -. Last year we wanted Europe, but playing once every 3 days is a different sport compared to one game a week as it had been until now. Either we decide we want to compete every 3 days and fight to do it, or we settle for playing once a week. We have to accept that the rhythms have changed, it’s the only thing to do. I had brought in some fresh starters, who were not on the pitch on Wednesday (in the Carabao Cup defeat against Chelsea, ed.). I’m trying to manage the team differently to maintain physical energy, but it’s not enough. In football, to give your best you have to start from the head.”
lesson
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De Zerbi doesn’t throw the game away, although he says that his Brighton team did everything wrong. But he wants his parents to focus on the lesson to be learned. “This must become the most important day of our season, one of the most important since I have been at Brighton,” he says. We are suffering, it is a dark day, but we must realize that the level has changed. And we wanted to be at this level. I believe in my players, I have enormous faith in the people in my locker room. We suffer a lot from this defeat, but sometimes it happens that you lose like this, especially if you are not mentally ready. I’m sure we’ll see another Brighton on Thursday.” It’s not just a wish: De Zerbi is ready to transform it into his new mantra. Because Birmingham wasn’t the real Brighton. And everyone noticed it.
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