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[Albion] AS Monaco 2017, Ajax 2019, Brighton 2023? How a 'wild Pep Guardiola' took PL's implausible overachievers and made them even better!









MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,873
I love RDZ more than anyone (including his Nonna) does, but comparing us to those Monaco and Ajax teams is something of a stretch.
 


Brian Fantana

Well-known member
Oct 8, 2006
7,550
In the field
Terrific article. It’s enjoyable to read things like that but equally, as the author says, the longer this success goes on (and the more coverage about us that there is) then the more difficult it becomes for us to operate under the radar.
 


Brian Fantana

Well-known member
Oct 8, 2006
7,550
In the field
I love RDZ more than anyone (including his Nonna) does, but comparing us to those Monaco and Ajax teams is something of a stretch.

Whilst I agree, we are only half way through the season. IF, and it is a big if, RDZ is able to keep this organised and successful chaos going until the end of May then we may find ourselves having achieved something genuinely remarkable.
 




dwayne

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
16,264
London
I love RDZ more than anyone (including his Nonna) does, but comparing us to those Monaco and Ajax teams is something of a stretch.

Hardly.

It feels exactly the 2019 Ajax team. And funnily enough a bit like when bissy went to spurs or cucu went to Chelsea most of the Ajax team that have moved to bigger clubs have flopped hard.

What makes our team special is the team as a whole not just a collection of talented individuals.

Btw I just looked at the Ajax team that got to the semis of champions League and we have better players overall IMHO.
 


Icy Gull

Back on the rollercoaster
Jul 5, 2003
72,015
These are a good article :clap2:

'None of them are stars and none of them were particularly tipped for greatness prior to their arrival at Brighton, yet running through the team sheet there is Champions League quality in every position'
Are you reconsidering binning your season ticket? :wink:
 


The Fits

Well-known member
Jun 29, 2020
10,106
Lovely article. Big difference with those two teams is they got to the CL semi finals. We are a long way off that so a slightly OTT comparison given we are half way through the season, out of one cup and 8th or whatever it is. Let's see where we are in a month or two. But lovely none the less.
 






dwayne

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
16,264
London
Lovely article. Big difference with those two teams is they got to the CL semi finals. We are a long way off that so a slightly OTT comparison given we are half way through the season, out of one cup and 8th or whatever it is. Let's see where we are in a month or two. But lovely none the less.
No reason we couldn't get to the champions League semis with this team. Premier league is a lot harder than the champions league.

The problem is that the premier League is so hard that means we will probably never get in the champions League
 


Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,454
Hove
Lovely article. Big difference with those two teams is they got to the CL semi finals. We are a long way off that so a slightly OTT comparison given we are half way through the season, out of one cup and 8th or whatever it is. Let's see where we are in a month or two. But lovely none the less.
Yes, although we are into the new year and FA Cup 4th round, actually the league fixtures in a typical season we're just heading into the Xmas period rather than through it. We're basically 4 games behind where you would normally be at this time of year. That's a lot of football left to play.
 




Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,454
Hove
No reason we couldn't get to the champions League semis with this team. Premier league is a lot harder than the champions league.

The problem is that the premier League is so hard that means we will probably never get in the champions League
Agreed. Ajax get a go at the CL every year, then Marsailles, Monaco, Lyon., Lille all generally get regular shots at the CL - the PL has to be the hardest league in Europe to get a CL spot for those not funded like a small country.

I love this line in the article:
The first XI that destroyed Liverpool - and it really was a complete obliteration - cost a total of £30m ($52m), or 40 per cent of Virgil van Dijk
 




Bold Seagull

strong and stable with me, or...
Mar 18, 2010
30,454
Hove
What I would add, and this goes against those that don't like to see the last 3 years as a gradual progression and improvement, is that the record of the current and previous manager is:
P12 GF24
P12 GF24

RDZ didn't inherit a side that wasn't scoring many goals, he inherited a side that had already turned a goal scoring corner, and that is largely down to MacA - Caicedo forming one of the best midfield pairings in football right now, freeing up space for everyone else, and enabling Potter's side to start scoring, and RDZ's gung-ho football to flourish.

There won't be many managers in football that get to start a new job with a side purring with confidence and belief. There also won't be many that have the immediate impact and improvement RDZ has had, incredible appointment.
 




MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,873
Hardly.

It feels exactly the 2019 Ajax team. And funnily enough a bit like when bissy went to spurs or cucu went to Chelsea most of the Ajax team that have moved to bigger clubs have flopped hard.

What makes our team special is the team as a whole not just a collection of talented individuals.

Btw I just looked at the Ajax team that got to the semis of champions League and we have better players overall IMHO.
I dont diaagree with any of thay, I just reckon Ajax 2019 would beat Albion 2023.

Before anyone gets titsy, this is no slight at all on RDZ or us.
 


brighton terra

Well-known member
Dec 5, 2008
1,545
Worthing
Good article - but I think you maybe misunderstood it a bit?

De Zerbi ball is not compared to ‘a wild Pep’ as you say in your thread title and it would be inaccurate to describe it as such although it has similar foundations (like the ones laid down by Potter). De Zerbi ball is ‘Klopp ball’ played with more aggression and with a faster multi- tempo pace - and pretty much what I have been saying for months on various threads and which others who have looked closely at RDZs systematics have also seen developing.

Post in thread 'Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool *** Official Match Thread ***'
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/thre...ol-official-match-thread.398710/post-10512023

“Klopp’s system for years has been one of gegenpressing, (ie high intensity press higher up the pitch when off the ball as well as on it and aggressive counterattacks ) - very very similar to how De Zerbi is developing his system at Brighton imo
…The reason Liverpool couldn‘t even push into the game yesterday or get any kind of rhythm was because we never gave them a chance to keep possession after we conceded it, which made it impossible for them to press high or make aggressive counter attacks (thereby destroying the structure of their game) - The way I see it, that’s just one area where RDZs input has made a major difference - on average we are winning back possession immediately now and doing so much higher up the pitch instead of retreating, thereby setting up our own fast-tempo, counter-aggressive moves much earlier, leaving the opponent trailing our moves by several yards trying to keep up.”


Post in thread 'Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool *** Official Match Thread ***'
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/threads/brighton-hove-albion-vs-liverpool-official-match-thread.398710/post-
10512836
Post in thread 'Brighton & Hove Albion vs Liverpool *** Official Match Thread ***'
https://nortr3nixy.nimpr.uk/thre...ol-official-match-thread.398710/post-10512023
I haven’t misunderstood anything. The thread title has been copied directly from the article title!
 


Guinness Boy

Tofu eating wokerati
Helpful Moderator
NSC Patron
Jul 23, 2003
37,339
Up and Coming Sunny Portslade
Good article - but I think you maybe misunderstood it a bit?

De Zerbi ball is not compared to ‘a wild Pep’ as you say in your thread title and it would be inaccurate to describe it as such although it has similar foundations (like the ones laid down by Potter). <SNIP>
The thread title is literally the title of the Optus article!!!!
 


Zeberdi

“Vorsprung durch Technik”
NSC Patron
Oct 20, 2022
6,932
I haven’t misunderstood anything. The thread title has been copied directly from the article title!
Yes you are quite right - missed that - I actually read the article before really clocking the title of it - and the body of the article concludes that De Zerbi is more like Klopp, which I would agree with ( than Pep) He does describe Klopp as a wilder form of Pep in a round about way in so far as describing the difference between Potter (Pep-like) and De Zerbi so the title makes sense in that respect - And your thread title of course copied from the article therefore makes sense too.

”His tactical blueprint is relatively similar to that of Potter, in that he preaches possession dominance with a high-pressing and high line system, but where his predecessor was more like Pep Guardiola in the calm nature of his positional triangles and recycling of the ball De Zerbi is a little more wild; a little more of the Jurgen Klopp school.”

ps I’m sure RDZ will be very flattered by either comparison as will PG being compared to Pep! 🙂
 
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severnside gull

Well-known member
May 16, 2007
24,825
By the seaside in West Somerset


Eeyore

Colonel Hee-Haw of Queen's Park
NSC Patron
Apr 5, 2014
25,900
I dont diaagree with any of thay, I just reckon Ajax 2019 would beat Albion 2023.

Before anyone gets titsy, this is no slight at all on RDZ or us.
Especially with that Joel Veltnam playing for them.
 


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