[Albion] De Zerbi: 'We deserved to lose...I understood the problem in January!"

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American Seagle

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Jun 14, 2022
898
I think his style of play requires a much bigger squad, so his ideas require a bigger club than us to implement. I fully expect him to be at Liverpool next season.
Doesn't that describe a very limited manager with obvious flaws though? Why would a club like Liverpool hire a manager with a big flaw like that?
 


nickjhs

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Apr 9, 2017
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Ballarat, Australia
Doesn't that describe a very limited manager with obvious flaws though? Why would a club like Liverpool hire a manager with a big flaw like that?
It's not a flaw, the way we play is frigging brilliant, we just do not have the depth to be able to rotate the starting 11. You could look at it another way, are Brighton at fault for hiring a manager who plays this way when we dont have the resources to support him? It would appear that RDZ thinks this way.
 


OzMike

Well-known member
Oct 2, 2006
13,282
Perth Australia
The job is to 'manage', it would have been laid out how the club works and what the terms were, when the contract was signed.
No one said it would be easy and it would be more dignified if he kept upbeat and say he was doing his best, given the circumstances.
You can imagine the affect on the playing staff if he decides to just plod about shrugging his shoulders.
Tony will know how difficult it is at present and support where he can, but just handing out blank cheques is and always has been, a ridiculous way to do things.
He gets paid the big bucks to shoulder this responsibility and should do it respectfully.
 


American Seagle

Well-known member
Jun 14, 2022
898
It's not a flaw, the way we play is frigging brilliant, we just do not have the depth to be able to rotate the starting 11. You could look at it another way, are Brighton at fault for hiring a manager who plays this way when we dont have the resources to support him? It would appear that RDZ thinks this way.
The style is not a flaw. The inability of the manager to find a solution with a limited squad is.
 




dwayne

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Jul 5, 2003
16,269
London
It's not a flaw, the way we play is frigging brilliant, we just do not have the depth to be able to rotate the starting 11. You could look at it another way, are Brighton at fault for hiring a manager who plays this way when we dont have the resources to support him? It would appear that RDZ thinks this way.
I don't think any team in the world has the squad to play de zerbi ball successfully. Even pepp and klopp are defensive sometimes when required.

Dezerbiball is flawed and needs tweaking. We don't press as much as bielsas Leeds but we are becoming as open as them. It's so easy to create chances against us.
 


Weststander

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Aug 25, 2011
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Withdean area
The Dewsbury Hall move was an odd one. Assume we had positive noises from player and agent, and an idea of what Leicester would accept. Unusual for something so public ending up having no legs at all

Leaked by other parties?

It does happen eg Barco, Kudus, Buonanotte. All played out in public glare, I would assume the club wanted these events confidential.
 


Weststander

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Aug 25, 2011
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I don't think any team in the world has the squad to play de zerbi ball successfully. Even pepp and klopp are defensive sometimes when required.

Dezerbiball is flawed and needs tweaking. We don't press as much as bielsas Leeds but we are becoming as open as them. It's so easy to create chances against us.

Missing Caicedo and MacA hugely. Two insurance policies to the counter attack or Webster-esque gaff.
 




One Teddy Maybank

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Aug 4, 2006
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I think his style of play requires a much bigger squad, so his ideas require a bigger club than us to implement. I fully expect him to be at Liverpool next season.
Every team can only name ?25 players in the squads plus youngsters, home grown etc…

We are all in the same position, our academy is getting stronger every year, it is the injuries that have crippled us (but no more so than Liverpool and Newcastle).

To me it is a level playing field, it’s how the manager uses his resources. Has it been necessary to make as many changes? I don’t know…., but is significantly more than many teams.
 


Munchkin

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Jul 12, 2005
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Littlehampton
I think his style of play requires a much bigger squad, so his ideas require a bigger club than us to implement. I fully expect him to be at Liverpool next season.

Difference being Klopp put his faith and belief in the youngsters, embraced the situation Liverpool found themselves in with the injuries and the young players seem to thrive on that.

De Zerbi would have just moaned, blamed the lack of depth / investment in the squad and that negativity would have had an impact in the dressing room IMO.

You can be the best tactical manager in the world but you’ve also got to believe in the players you’ve got available to you, just get the feeling RDZ is always looking for excuses.

It’s starting to piss off sections of our fanbase and that would be intensified at a so called ‘bigger club’
 
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dwayne

Well-known member
Jul 5, 2003
16,269
London
Missing Caicedo and MacA hugely. Two insurance policies to the counter attack or Webster-esque gaff.
Yes but EVERYONE is seeing we need to adapt our style to accommodate this change except Roberto.

I thought I might calm down after a couple of days post Fulham but I haven't. I'm getting more and more annoyed thinking about it.
 




Couldn't Be Hyypia

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Nov 12, 2006
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Its easy to attribute blame when things don't go your way but sometimes you have to ask yourself what you could be doing differently.
Is it possible to do both?

I do also wonder at the nature of us fans. We love that RdZ speaks his mind and from the heart, then we pillory him for speaking his mind and from the heart.
 


Weststander

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Aug 25, 2011
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Yes but EVERYONE is seeing we need to adapt our style to accommodate this change except Roberto.

I thought it might calm down after a couple of days post Fulham but I haven't. I'm getting more and more annoyed thinking about it.

It’s not so black n white for me.

Defence … all the way back to bloody West Ham of all teams scoring 3 imho preventable goals at the Amex, I think we’re too cavalier. Estupinan camped upfield WTF. Bowen’s Xmas’s came all at once. We’ve seen that at other times eg an unmarked Neto had the freedom of the Amex second half, why? I’d add at least one more body to defence, with pace, for assurance when we attack. Imho.

But!
- the summer 2023 transfer window failed at LB and DM. Not hindsight, large numbers here said it wasn’t dealt with throughout August. Happy clappers said all is good, Milner can cover Estupinan absences. In fairness he’s had a couple of great games there, but at his age he’s not a season long PL solution and would be injury prone.
- the key injuries. Solly is a brilliant player, a winner.
 


dwayne

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Jul 5, 2003
16,269
London
It’s not so black n white for me.

Defence … all the way back to bloody West Ham of all teams scoring 3 imho preventable goals at the Amex, I think we’re too cavalier. Estupinan camped upfield WTF. Bowen’s Xmas’s came all at once. We’ve seen that at other times eg an unmarked Neto had the freedom of the Amex second half, why? I’d add at least one more body to defence, with pace, for assurance when we attack. Imho.

But!
- the summer 2023 transfer window failed at LB and DM. Not hindsight, large numbers here said it wasn’t dealt with throughout August. Happy clappers said all is good, Milner can cover Estupinan absences. In fairness he’s had a couple of great games there, but at his age he’s not a season long PL solution and would be injury prone.
- the key injuries. Solly is a brilliant player, a winner.
Comes back to the same point though. Rob needs to be more pragmatic. We can't go gung ho especially away from home where we are frankly rubbish most of the time and especially with mitoma and Pedro out.
 




BadFish

Huge Member
Oct 19, 2003
18,222
Yes but EVERYONE is seeing we need to adapt our style to accommodate this change except Roberto.

I thought I might calm down after a couple of days post Fulham but I haven't. I'm getting more and more annoyed thinking about it.
I am not seeing that at all. I say keep the style just do it properly. The style I am talking about is the inviting teams onto us and then swiftly cutting through them to create a shot on goal.

Rather than meandering possession that let's the opposition organise their defence. It feels more like potterball that DeZerbi ball at the moment.

Edit: the reason that our style has shifted is because we have too many injuries. Our style doesn't work properly with a back three, with no wingers or with no midfielders.
 


Weststander

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Aug 25, 2011
69,329
Withdean area
Comes back to the same point though. Rob needs to be more pragmatic. We can't go gung ho especially away from home where we are frankly rubbish most of the time and especially with mitoma and Pedro out.

Are you naturally a more cautious football tactician than RDZ? I definitely am. I wince when JPVH, Gilmour or Webster give the ball away under little pressure between our 18 yard line and centre circle.

Whilst RDZ plays a game similar to Klopp’s or Ange’s. It’s in his DNA. I disagree that Klopp reverts to a defensive game plan. Ange and Klopp teams will never have the obsessive low GA of Pep or his 2023/24 copier Arteta. They play a high risk-reward game with RDZ.
 








Harry Wilson's tackle

Harry Wilson's Tackle
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Oct 8, 2003
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Faversham
I don't think any team in the world has the squad to play de zerbi ball successfully. Even pepp and klopp are defensive sometimes when required.

Dezerbiball is flawed and needs tweaking. We don't press as much as bielsas Leeds but we are becoming as open as them. It's so easy to create chances against us.
Do you think there may be....some sort of similarity.....between RDZ and Bielsa?

I recently read RDZ is a great admirer of Bielsa's approach to coaching.

Interesting idea. I'll give it some thought.
 




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