.png) De Zerbi in 2019 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Roberto De Zerbi[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1979-06-06)6 June 1979 (age 46) | ||
| Place of birth | Brescia, Italy | ||
| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] | ||
| Position | Attacking midfielder | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | Marseille (head coach) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| –1995 | Mompiano | ||
| 1995–1998 | AC Milan | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1998–2001 | AC Milan | 0 | (0) |
| 1998 | →Monza (loan) | 9 | (0) |
| 1999 | →Padova (loan) | 11 | (2) |
| 1999 | →Como (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2000 | →Padova (loan) | 12 | (3) |
| 2000–2001 | →Avellino (loan) | 6 | (0) |
| 2001 | →Lecco (loan) | 7 | (0) |
| 2002–2004 | Foggia | 56 | (18) |
| 2004–2005 | Arezzo | 27 | (4) |
| 2005–2006 | Catania | 34 | (7) |
| 2006–2010 | Napoli | 33 | (3) |
| 2008 | →Brescia (loan) | 17 | (1) |
| 2008–2009 | →Avellino (loan) | 15 | (5) |
| 2010 | →CFR Cluj (loan) | 4 | (0) |
| 2010–2012 | CFR Cluj | 18 | (8) |
| 2013 | Trento | 10 | (3) |
| Total | 265 | (54) | |
| Managerial career | |||
| 2013–2014 | Darfo Boario | ||
| 2014–2016 | Foggia | ||
| 2016 | Palermo | ||
| 2017–2018 | Benevento | ||
| 2018–2021 | Sassuolo | ||
| 2021–2022 | Shakhtar Donetsk | ||
| 2022–2024 | Brighton & Hove Albion | ||
| 2024– | Marseille | ||
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Roberto De Zerbi (Italian pronunciation:[roˈbɛrtodedˈdzɛrbi]; born 6 June 1979) is an Italian professionalfootballmanager and former player, who is currently the head coach ofLigue 1 clubMarseille.
De Zerbi started his professional career atAC Milan. He spent four seasons on loan to lower divisions clubs (Serie B to Serie C2). He spent 1999–2000 Serie C1 season in Como along withAlberto Comazzi andLuca Saudati of Milan.Half of the registration rights were also sold toSalernitana in the 2000–01 and 2001–02 season. In June 2002, Milan bought back De Zerbi from Salernitana, and subsequently sold him toFoggia.
De Zerbi signed forSerie B sideNapoli fromCatania for €2.5 million in 2006.[3]
On 8 February 2010, Napoli announced his loan transfer to RomanianLiga I clubCFR Cluj, with the deal being made permanent on 31 August 2010 on a three-year contract.[4][5]
On 6 September 2016, De Zerbi was named head coach of Serie A clubPalermo followingDavide Ballardini's departure by mutual consent due to disagreements with the board.[6] His stint at the helm of theSicilians, however, turned out to be negative, with seven consecutive defeats and no points at home in three months.[citation needed] After a penalty shootout elimination in a home match against Serie B clubSpezia, De Zerbi was sacked on 30 November 2016, and replaced with former team captainEugenio Corini.[7]
On 23 October 2017, De Zerbi was named head coach of2017–18 Serie A newcomersBenevento.[8] Despite the side being relegated to Serie B at the end of the season, De Zerbi was praised for his possession-based, attacking football and transfer business.[9]
On 13 June 2018, De Zerbi was appointed manager ofSassuolo.[10] Under his tenure, Sassuolo were praised for their footballing style coupled with overachieving results, which led the smallEmilia based club to two consecutive eighth place spots in the Italian top flight, losing aUEFA Conference League qualification place toRoma only on goal difference at the end of the2020–21 Serie A season.[citation needed]
In May 2021, De Zerbi announced he would leave Sassuolo at the end of the season.[11]
On 25 May 2021, De Zerbi was announced as the new head coach ofUkrainian Premier League clubShakhtar Donetsk.[12] On 22 September, he won the2021Ukrainian Super Cup againstDynamo Kyiv at theOlympic Stadium inKyiv, becoming the first Italian manager to win the title.[13][14][15] He departed the club in July 2022 as a result of theRussian invasion of Ukraine.[16] He managed to leave the club at the top of the UPL during theunfinished season.[17]
De Zerbi succeededGraham Potter as head coach ofPremier League sideBrighton & Hove Albion on 18 September 2022, signing a four-year contract.[18] He managed his first game in England on 1 October, in a 3–3 away draw atLiverpool withLeandro Trossard becoming the first Brighton player to score a Premier League hat-trick.[19]
De Zerbi lost his first game at Brighton'sFalmer Stadium on 9 October, calling his players "fantastic" despite the 1–0 defeat toTottenham Hotspur.[20] His first win came on 29 October with a 4–1 thrashing of Graham Potter'sChelsea.[21] De Zerbi went three games unbeaten against Liverpool in his debut campaign at Brighton, including beating them as defending champions in theFA Cup fourth round on 29 January 2023.[22][23]
On 18 February, he was sent off by refereeDarren England following Brighton's 1–0 home defeat againstFulham. De Zerbi was shown a red card for complaining that he had lost time to prepare for the match due to a refereeing meeting during the week. In a post-match interview, he said the "level of refereeing in the Premier League is very bad", whilst also criticising Darren England for not having a "good attitude".[24][25] On March 3, he was banned from the touchline for one game and fined £15,000 by the FA in the wake of his red card in the Fulham game.[26]
On 8 April 2023, after an altercation with Tottenham Hotspur interim managerCristian Stellini and other members of Tottenham's coaching staff during Brighton's 2–1 away defeat at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, De Zerbi and Stellini were sent off. Following the match, De Zerbi stated: "I am used to always respecting everyone and I want the same to me". This followed alleged comments Stellini made towards him in an article published by Italian newspaperLa Gazzetta dello Sport.[27] The match was also marred by controversy afterHoward Webb, chief refereeing officer of thePGMOL, later admitted Brighton should have been awarded a penalty for a foul onKaoru Mitoma, the third such instance in the 2022–23 season in which Brighton had received an apology from the PGMOL for incorrect refereeing decisions.[28]
De Zerbi guided Brighton to the semi-final of the FA Cup, where they facedManchester United atWembley on 23 April. Brighton went on to lose on penalties after a goalless 120 minutes. The Italian responded to the defeat by saying that Brighton "have to close the page" by putting disappointment behind them and fighting for a place in Europe.[29][30] Three days later, Brighton went on to lose 3–1 atNottingham Forest before their biggest Premier League victory at the weekend on 29 April, a 6–0 home win overWolves to boost Brighton's European hopes.[31][32] Brighton took revenge on Manchester United on 4 May, withAlexis Mac Allister scoring the only goal of the match, a 99th minute penalty that put Brighton on course for Europe.[33] However, four days later, Brighton suffered one of their worst Premier League defeats and the worst under De Zerbi, losing to Everton 5–1 at Falmer Stadium. TheToffees opened the scoreline in 34 seconds.[34]
On 21 May, Brighton beatSouthampton 3–1 at home, securing a top seven finish, meaning that Brighton had qualified for Europe for the first time in the club's history.[35] De Zerbi called the qualification "more prestigious than winning the title" with a top six club. The Italian spoke with pride of coaching Brighton, calling it "an honour".[36] Three days later, Brighton sealed their place in the2023–24 UEFA Europa League after a 1–1 draw at home against championsManchester City.[37]
De Zerbi's Brighton hostedLuton Town in the opening game of the Premier League season on 12 August, winning 4–1 with several players making their Brighton debuts including goalscorersJoão Pedro andSimon Adingra.[38]
On Brighton's European debut on 21 September, they fell to a 3–2 home defeat toGreek championsAEK Athens, with both of Brighton's goals coming from João Pedro's spot kicks.[39] At theStade Vélodrome in Marseille on 5 October, in their first ever away game in Europe, Brighton came from two down to draw 2–2 withPascal Groß scoring his first European goal. Pedro scored the equaliser, hitting home his third penalty in two Europa League matches.[40] On 26 October, Brighton would win their first-ever match in Europe, after defeating six-time European championsAjax at home in a 2–0 victory.
Following a 1–1 home draw againstSheffield United on 13 November, a match in which De Zerbi received a yellow card for his conduct on the touchline, he was critical of the performance of referees in England, stating: "I am honest and clear. I don’t like 80 per cent of England’s referees. It’s not a new thing. I don’t like them. I don’t like their behaviour on the pitch."[41]
Brighton's league form under De Zerbi, after a strong start consisting of five wins in their first six games, became inconsistent as 2023 drew to a close, throughout which the squad endured several injuries to key players. By December 2023, ten Brighton players were unavailable due to injury, including forwardsKaoru Mitoma,Simon Adingra,Solly March,Ansu Fati andJulio Enciso, as well as defendersPervis Estupiñán,Tariq Lamptey,Adam Webster andJoel Veltman.[42] Throughout the latter stages of 2023, Brighton's mixed results included a 6–1 away defeat to Aston Villa on 30 September[43] contrasted with a 4–2 home victory over Tottenham Hotspur on 28 December,[44] between which Brighton drew six and won two out of eleven games.
De Zerbi expressed frustration towards Brighton's January 2024 transfer window activity, with the club's only first-team signing being of 19-year old Argentine defenderValentín Barco. De Zerbi, when asked in a press conference about Brighton’s midfield resources, stated: “I spoke with the club, but they decided a different way". The club had signed young midfielderCarlos Baleba, in addition toJames Milner andMahmoud Dahoud as replacements for the outgoingMoisés Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister in the summer 2023 window, however Dahoud departed the club on loan in the January window.[45]
Under De Zerbi's stewardship, the club advanced to the knockout phase of the Europa League and also won their group, after a 1–0 victory over Marseille in their final match of the group phase. On progression in Brighton's debut European campaign, De Zerbi commented: "We will prepare for the rest of the Europa League in the same way – with our passion, our ideas, our attitude and pride. I'm really proud for this moment because we are without a lot of players and we are playing every three days. I know the level of the people inside the dressing room. I'm really lucky to be the Brighton coach because I love my players totally."[46]
On 28 February 2024, Brighton's FA Cup campaign came to an end in the fifth round after a 1–0 defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers atMolineux Stadium.[47] Brighton's Europa League campaign came to a halt in the round of 16 phase, after a 4–1 aggregate loss over two legs toRoma, with Brighton losing 4–0 away in the first leg. After the first leg defeat on 7 March 2024, De Zerbi stated: "We played our game and we gave our best and maybe our best at this moment is this performance. Roma were much better in terms of showing their experience of playing this type of game and we suffered too much at this level of the competition, which we’re not used to. We created a lot of chances, about as many as Roma, but Roma played at a different pace and won the game. It’s the first time Brighton have played in the Europa League round of 16. it’s a big step up for us but I know we played 20% less well than we can."[48][49]
During March 2024, wherein De Zerbi became linked with managerial posts at several clubs including Barcelona, Manchester United, Liverpool and Bayern Munich, comments made by De Zerbi surrounding his future at Brighton invited speculation on whether he would leave the club. On whether an agreement had been reached with Brighton to renew his contract, De Zerbi stated: "At the moment, no. We didn't find the agreement. The contract is a part of the future. It's important for me, it's important for everyone but it's a small part, the big part is the plan. We have to speak with the club. The future I want to keep my ambition, my motivation, I live for football 24 hours a day. I want to know what is the plan, what is the project, what is the future because if I don't feel comfortable, I don't feel the right motivation, I can't stay any longer."[50] Despite these comments, De Zerbi later stated in May 2024: "I think I would like to stay in Brighton because I love my players. I love this city. I love my club, my fans. I said in the meeting with the fans, if I'm happy, there isn't any club can bring myself to change a team but I want to keep my passion always."[51] This followed a 1–0 home victory over Aston Villa, which left Brighton eleventh in the Premier League table, with the club having fallen out of contention for European qualification, following a series of prior defeats in 2024.[52]
On 18 May 2024, Brighton & Hove Albion announced that they had reached a mutual agreement with De Zerbi to terminate his contract following the conclusion of the 2023–24 season. On his departure from Brighton, De Zerbi stated: "I am very sad to be leaving Brighton, but I am very proud of what my players and staff have achieved with the support of everyone at the club and our amazing fans in the past two historical seasons. We have agreed to end my time at Brighton so that the club and I can continue to work in the way that suits each of us best, following our own ideas and visions, as well as our work and human values."[53] De Zerbi's public discontent surrounding Brighton's recruitment strategy was cited as having contributed towards the "irreconcilable differences", which had formed between him and the club's hierarchy.[54]
Ligue 1 sideMarseille appointed De Zerbi as manager on 29 June 2024 on a three-year contract.[55] De Zerbi began his season with a 5–1 win overBrest.[56]
De Zerbi has developed a reputation for playing an attacking–minded possession-based style of football, focusing heavily on shorter build-up from thegoalkeeper rather than quick counter-attacks. He also favours a deep double pivot approach in a4–2–3–1 system whilst deploying an aggressive high press off the ball. This aims to draw the opposition higher up the pitch centrally, which De Zerbi's teams aim to exploit by working the ball wide, with his full backs veering close to the touchline on both sides. Through the goalkeeper acting as an auxiliary centre back in this set up, full backs are provided with the opportunity to push further forward, with a centre-forward or number 10 interchanging positions using the space created by the deep double pivot inviting pressure from the opposition. In these situations, De Zerbi's teams exhibit flexibility in methods of receiving the ball, through direct, clipped passes over the opposition press from the goalkeeper or centre-backs, where an emphasis on an ability and confidence to receive the ball under pressure close to their own goal is placed.[57]
During a low-build up, De Zerbi's teams use seven players starting with the goalkeeper in a 1–4–2 shape. The wingers remain high and wide in this scenario, with two midfielders acting as number 10s in positioning themselves between the opposition's backline and midfield line. Should the opposition's centre-backs push up in response, De Zerbi's wingers use the resulting space created to facilitate one-on-one situations against the opposition full-backs. If the opposition centre-backs remain deep, his teams aim to take advantage of a numerical superiority in midfield. In a high-build up, De Zerbi's team's utilise a 1–2–3–5 or 1–3–1–5–1 shape, with a single high and wide player to prioritise playing through the middle and shorten the length of the opposition's passes, whilst the wide player aims to pull the opposition back line out of position.[58]
The style of play produced by De Zerbi's teams has been praised by some of his peers, including Spanish head coachPep Guardiola citing him as "one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years".[59]
| Team | Nat. | From | To | Record | Ref. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | W | D | L | Win % | |||||
| Darfo Boario |  | 19 November 2013 | 30 June 2014 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 12 | 022.73 | |
| Foggia | | 1 July 2014 | 14 August 2016 | 91 | 47 | 25 | 19 | 051.65 | [60] |
| Palermo | | 6 September 2016 | 30 November 2016 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 007.69 | [61] |
| Benevento | | 23 October 2017 | 30 June 2018 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 20 | 020.69 | [61] |
| Sassuolo | | 1 July 2018 | 24 May 2021 | 120 | 43 | 36 | 41 | 035.83 | [61] |
| Shakhtar Donetsk |  | 25 May 2021 | 11 July 2022 | 30 | 20 | 5 | 5 | 066.67 | [61] |
| Brighton & Hove Albion |  | 18 September 2022 | 30 June 2024 | 89 | 38 | 22 | 29 | 042.70 | [61] |
| Marseille |  | 1 July 2024 | Present | 54 | 32 | 7 | 15 | 059.26 | |
| Total | 448 | 192 | 106 | 150 | 042.86 | ||||
Foggia
CFR Cluj
Foggia
Shakhtar Donetsk
Individual
