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Roberto De Zerbi, the head coach of Brighton & Hove Albion, believes that after their Europa League exit, lessons must be learned.
Danny Welbeck’s incredible goal in the first half of the Seagulls’ 1-0 victory over Roma at the Amex Stadium was a testament to their strong performance in the round of 16 second leg.
But the 4-0 first leg loss in Rome last week proved too much to come back from and their European adventure came to an end with a 4-1 aggregate defeat.
The Italian head coach of Brighton had a difficult time accepting it when he admitted last week at the Stadio Olimpico that he, the players, and the owners had all made mistakes this season.
Given that Brighton is frequently regarded as one of the best-run Premier League teams, De Zerbi’s remarks regarding the owners caused some controversy. It has been a challenging experience for all, even though they won the group stage, which featured teams like Ajax, Marseille, and AEK Athens, despite this being their first time competing in Europe.
Given that De Zerbi is still being connected to elite Serie A teams like Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Liverpool, Barcelona, and others, every statement he makes at this time is closely watched.
Speaking during Thursday’s match against Roma, he stated: “Everyone needs to think about themselves.” His summertime future is far from assured. The club needs to think about itself, and I need to think about myself. I should reflect on my past errors and learn from them.
Albion placed sixth in the Premier League the previous year, but this season has been difficult due to the loss of Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister in the summer as well as numerous injuries to important players.
De Zerbi continued, “We have had a really difficult season with far too many injuries, but today we saw how Roma did without [Paulo] Dybala and [Romelu] Lukaku. Imagine Roma for a long period without Mancini and those players.
“We’ve improved upon the previous season. While you journalists focus on the league table, we consider other aspects. We’ve performed admirably, and if we find ourselves in this situation again the next season, we’ll work to get better.
