ROBERTO DE ZERBI PRESS CONFERENCES (AGAINST TOTTENHAM): Former Brighton Boss Talking to the Media

0:00This podcast is proud to be part of the TalkSport fan network TalkSport powered by fans. Sundees, do a few for Sundees, then we're going to do Mondays. And if you don't mind just introducing yourself, so Roberto knows who you are. And a fee for your side when you're towed to tow with one of the best clubs, seeing when you're really proud of doing it that way. Yes, it was a very good game. My player has been fantastic, I think, and I think the result is not fair. We had many opportunities to score.

1:05Okay, not clear, not very clear. But I'm sorry for this, no, because the result is not right, it's not fair. But I don't want to speak about Tottenham. I'm not speaking about Tottenham, it's not a very good game. But Brighton was very... The player of Brighton were fantastic for me. It was a very emotional game for the players who respected what happened to their fitness coach. What did you share a word with Handsome over the circumstances perhaps after what happened to him?

2:15Yes, yes, I speak Italian because it's a bit clear. I speak in Italian because I want to be much clear. If we talk about football, I have to talk about the game. The death of Jean-Pierre Ventrona is something that is most important. But the loss of Jean-Pierre Ventrona is much more important. It's a lot of sad for him, for his family, for Tottenham, for Antonio, for his staff. We are all very sad for him, for his family, for Antonio, for the club, for everything. I made my condolences. Also for me was very hard in the first minutes of the game after the minute of silence. And then once more my condolences.

3:23Yes, I knew him because he was a friend of many of my assistants. Ventrona was a reference for all the other Italian physical trainers. He has changed the vision of the training for everyone. Yes, he has changed the vision of the training for everyone. Yes, he has changed the vision of the training for everyone. But apart from what we are talking about, the working perspective, of course, it's a very big loss for a human. I want to clarify one thing that I'm talking about, that the result of the game has been not fair. And it couldn't be seen that no, it's lack of respect, because I know that Antonio didn't talk about the game.

4:23I'm not in a very comfortable situation about that. But if you ask me about the game, I have to answer about the game. So you played really well in the end, from the midway through the first half to the end. But Mitoma lifted the team in the wall. You like Mitoma, huh? Yes, of course. Mitoma is a very good player. In Liverpool played, maybe he and Mitoma and LaLana changed the game. In Liverpool, and today the same, I want to find the way to put on the pitch all players who have more quality.

5:37But it's possible to play only 11. No, no, no. A great guy, a great player. In the future, we can change position. We can change not style, but position on the pitch. But it's difficult to find the best solution, because Trusard is another very good player. He grows the same, March, the same. Mitoma in Liverpool, and today played in left-winger. And March let her out back.

6:39Maybe it can be this one, the solution. I don't know, at the moment. Any more of a Sunday? Yes, I think, yes. I told you, now the result for me is not fair, but the football in Italy is the same. I lost other games in this kind, a lot. Yes, yes. I told my player, and I told them, okay, I understand they can be said, but the same moment they have to be happy for the style of play, for the courage, for the braveness.

7:54Because it was a very, very good game. Anyone from Mondays? If you play in this style, this courage, the result will arrive 100%. Anyway, I know only this way. Other way, I don't know. I'm always used to respecting everyone inside of the pitch and outside of the pitch. I don't like when the people don't respect me. But there are normal situations in football and...

9:00Stop. Is personal things, no? Is it something that is said in this person? No, no. I always respect everyone, especially the coaches. And I can't answer for me, not for him. Do you feel he didn't respect you, doesn't respect you? Yes. Yes, it is a personal situation, and I told him what was my opinion, my idea. Not bad words, not nothing. Only my opinion.

10:08Yes, the red card started born for this situation. Because I never say nothing to the referee during the game. I didn't put any pressure for the referee. I don't like when the other bench put pressure to the referee. We have to help the referee not to put more pressure in this stadium, in this atmosphere. Are you worried that that will affect your team performance? Yes, I'm sorry, but my career was the first time, so many red cards.

11:15If you control my career, you can't find so many red cards. I think we played two games with me on stand, and we won both games. And I think there isn't a problem. When I was in a dressing room, there was a clear penalty of metama, but... I don't know, maybe I changed the league, and I have to change habits, no? I don't know.

12:17I don't know. I think I didn't deserve the red card, but I have to accept the decision. What do you say you might have to change how you are? Do you think you can? Do you think you can change everything you want? I can change my passion, I can change my animated way to stay on the bench. But I will try to stay in my place, to stay in my bench. I will try to change something.

13:21Nothing. No, no, no. No protest. The complaint made by the opposite bench. Because you can't find one situation from my bench, where I spoke with the referee to contest. To complain with some decision. And I think he could say something today, no? Because ten questions, nothing for the penalty of metama, nothing of the goal of well back.

14:30And I am sorry, also for this. It's difficult to spoke with the players at the end of the game. We had a high target and Manchester United, Newcastle Tottenham. We know they are a very, very big team. We will try, but now it's very difficult to achieve in Champions League. But for sure, we are very proud for the performance. We played a great, great game. I think we deserve to win, not to draw, but to win.

15:33And we are disappointed for the result, not for the quality of play. We can't forget, we are bright and we were playing in Tottenham Stadium against Tottenham. I told him what is my opinion. And I don't want to explain nothing about Tottenham. I told him what is my opinion. And I don't want to explain nothing more. Should we take some Monday questions. Brian, John, keep us up. I don't think we are going to be able to do this.

16:35I don't want to be sad. How did you like the game? Thinking and talking about football, about the next game, because we have a very tough game, especially tomorrow, and we want to compete in the best way we can. In terms of injury, so how have you started your first conference with you about the car room and talking about how it's been doing last in Paris? Look, tomorrow we have more or less 10 injury players. Maybe less, maybe eight, but two players they can start the game.

17:37But Mitoma is one of them, we lost Karyu for around six weeks, four, five, six weeks, yes. I think no, but I don't know. Yes, he's available to come on the bench. Your interview after the Paris game about following the club policy and working with young players. When you were talking about that, when you were talking maybe a point that players that are young will have ups and downs that they need to learn from mistakes. Because some fans may be lucky today as it's back in Paris, but you have to respect myself.

18:40I love speaking honestly, and I can't say nothing of the reason in my head. I'm honest always, and I said my true, I said what I think, what is the true, but I love working in this club with this policy, and until I enjoy, I accept to working like this is an honor for me and nothing change. But if you ask me any question, I usually answer with the true, my true, but I don't love speaking in a different way.

19:46I don't know. This question is better if you ask the club of sporting director or owner or the CEO of the club. I have a clear idea, but now the focus is on the next game. Because without these injuries, injuries players, which we don't change our ambition, we are going to play to win every game. We are going to win in the next games in Europe league, nothing change in terms of ambition, in terms of motivation, but the real situation is like this.

20:50The tournament game tomorrow looks like you can be a lot of fun to teams who like to attack. And Oscar Coverage today has said that he amires what you are doing here and says that you are a man who obviously likes to do things differently. I have to say the same, I like him so much as a coach, as a style of play as a person. Because when he speaks in press conference or the interview, I like him a lot, yeah. Because you feel you have both encounters as two clubs, the same kind of emotions this year with injuries and trying to hit your best team out on the field as long as as much as you can.

21:57No, I am very happy because I am working a lot, I am working much than last season and I am improving a lot. Because when there are many problems, a lot of problems, you have to work better and and harder. And so I am changing something on the pitch. I have to think better and in a different way because I have to respect the characteristic of the players and I have to to find the balance with the ball without the ball with the play in the, in the defensive face, in pressure, in build-up, keeping the idea because I can't change my idea, I can't change my DNA,

22:59but in, without 10 players, 8 players, you have to change something, to change something, to find different solutions, to try to find different tactical disposition to keeping the idea, the style, the, the, the, the, the main sense of our, our idea. And you mentioned changes there, just going back to what Richard said about younger players. Have you had to almost change your approach to management with these younger players? No, because I can't change my approach or my, my character, my, my attitude, my, my passion. I'm lucky because we have a great academy. Brighton Academy is great, incredible.

24:02And we are lucky because tomorrow we can, we can bring three, four players of them. And, and we can compete in the same way. And I don't want to, to listen problems, the problems, we have to transform the problems in opportunities. Many areas that you haven't been able to rotate. How we are doing, eh? Because we are, we are doing like this. At any areas you haven't been able to rotate because I think of the goalkeepers. Without the European football in between the Premier League games, would anything change maybe without a usual goalkeeper's name as you look for that concheon? I don't know, maybe yes, maybe no. Because I have two great goalkeepers. I don't want to lose one of them.

25:05Maybe Jason still is better in build-up at the moment. But the blue guy is Marguay, is improving a lot in this. But Jason is a, he's a phenomenon in question. A phenomenon in build-up. But Bart is a better in, in, in different situation than Jason. And for it, we have a great goalkeeper coaches. And with them, we decide the best solutions. Sometimes it can happen. They can make mistakes, but it's not a problem in mistake. Yes, but this a lot of injuries, this, this season a lot of injuries were for, for unlucky,

26:10because March, Pervious Tupanian, Inchiso, the last one, Kariumi Toma, they are not muscular injuries. And for it, but we are paying maybe the, the, the season or the playing every, every week, three, three times. And maybe we can, we could suffer it. Oh, I must do it. No, I, I, I would like to play with the, the complete squad. But, but football, Tortenham played a lot of games without eight, seven players. And I never listen,

27:15post the Coglu cry, you know, it's football and we have to accept. And I think we can compete in the same way. Maybe on the bench, we have not the same quality with a complete squad, but we have maybe more energy with young players, maybe with Jacob Moder. He didn't play for one year, and he can, he can show energy, can show attitude, different attitude, yeah. Topman has also lost Harry K, who's called the winner last season twice, yes, Albuya. How impressed have you been with, how they coached without him? But they, they, they play a great football. Their style is clear is, I love their, their, their style.

28:20They have a great players. And in terms of course, personality on the pitch, they are one of the, I think, one, one of the best team in, in this moment, in Premier League, in Europe. Which is finally, it's the last game of the year. How do you look back on 2023 and the time of the club and as a year, calendar year? I love, we're there before, looking forward. And in my focus, there is the, there are spurs, no, forward, yes, back after, when I finish to be a coach, I, I think, no, no, because it's very tough,

29:23after 10 years like this is, is tough. Thank you. Yes, sorry. Was that the perfect way to end the year? Yes, I think it was the, the, the best way to, to, to finish the, the year. I'm really, really proud for the last 10 minutes, not for the first 80 minutes, because it's too easy now, speaking about the, the first 80 minutes, but I'm really proud for the last 10 minutes. When we were suffering a lot, when we, we made the mistake in, in the first goal, we considered because we have to accept, because to, to know where we, we want to go, we have to, to, to know

30:28who we are. And, and we played a great game, because we, we, we showed our incredible courage, to defend meant to meant 90 minutes, and to play with the, with the, that, courage, that quality, that, that style, the technologies, and for it, I'm sorry, because we considered to go, I'm sorry, because we have not a, a clinch it, but we have to accept, because we are bright on, and bright on can play 80 minutes like the 80, the first part of the game. And the same bright on can suffer a lot, as a last 10 minutes. There was some great moments in the game that we're about to pin and goal. It was incredible. Yes, incredible goal, but the most important

31:29thing about Stupanjame is, we, we recovered an important player, because we are losing a lot of players on injuries, and, and we need, any one more, because we can't play in 10, nine players. Just finally, a job, Pedro, now 13 goals for the season in all football, two goals tonight, and the system. How important is he now to be? The best player on the pitch, I think. Today, play the, another incredible game, and really pleased for his improvement on mentality, on attitude, on, in defense his face, incredible, because he defended 90 minutes, like, like a center back, in terms of mentality, and, and for it time, he's becoming, I think, a top player.

32:30I hope, I hope in the next year to work with him, but I think it will be very tough. I think I, I'm a good coach, but not to explain this performance. I can explain this performance, speaking about the quality of my players, the quality as a, as a, as a people, as people, and the quality as a players, fantastic players, I'm really lucky to be their coach.

33:31Robert, you just confirmed, cold injury takes four to six weeks to heal, but, you know, just it's four weeks, he can, you know, be able to play for tournament stage of the Asian Cup. Do you think that's possible? I don't know, because, because, I hope, can be less than four, but the medical staff told me four, six weeks, and, and I working for, blight on, not for Japan, I can say nothing for Japan. I hope for, for you, if, can you can play in, in Asian, Asian Cup, but, I don't know.

34:34Hi, Roberto. Would I be right in thinking that the plan wasn't to play purpose for 45 minutes? Was I going injured? Or was that always the plan? Igor and Fakundo Bona not, they suffered the injury. I don't know if, important to, to, for the next game in West Ham stadium, but Igor couldn't play in the second half. You know, the nature of those, what parts, sort of, tend, tend, tend, tend. And Fakundo. And can you just explain what, what you think he was in dealing with having no wingers, once you'd lost metoma and a dunga and adjust into that? She played James Milner, wide left, didn't you, and Chihuahua Pedro and Fakundo seem to have quite free rolls.

35:34Yeah. No, we, we played with three at the back, to central midfielder, to no winger, midfielder, to lateral midfielder, Jack Ineswood and, and James Milner, and two players behind the, then he went back with. We, we changed everything because we need something different. I, I, I said yesterday in press conference, I'm enjoying a lot because, and I have to, to be proud because I'm, I'm working harder than, than the first part of the season because now we have to, to find different solution and finding different solution. We, we need to work harder and to, and to think,

36:39better and more and take some risk because sometimes it's difficult to prepare one game in different way in two days. And for it, I, I said, I'm very, very lucky to be the coach of Brighton of these players. Thank you.