Brighton & Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler had his say on his predecessor Roberto de Zerbi as Tottenham Hotspur take on the Seagulls on Saturday evening, reuniting the Italian with his first club as a Premier League boss.
‘We are there to achieve something’
The stint of De Zerbi marked a historic time at the Amex Stadium.
Drafted in as a replacement for Graham Potter in the autumn of 2022, the Italian immediately implemented a recognisable playbook in possession.
De Zerbi steered the side into the top six, qualifying for Europe for the first time.
Roma knocked the English outfit out of the Europa League in the Round of 16 in 2024, and although the team dropped off into mid-table, De Zerbi departed the south coast with the affection of supporters.
De Zerbi’s challenge at Tottenham
The next chapter of De Zerbi’s career took him to Marseille, with whom he parted ways in February. Now, he is in charge of an altogether different task, trying to stop Spurs from sliding into the Championship.
The Seagulls sit in ninth position in the Premier League table with a tally of 46 points, only two behind sixth-placed Chelsea. A return to continental competition is a real possibility for Hurzeler’s men, who must set aside any sentimentality toward De Zerbi to take three points in North London.
Hurzeler said: “I think [de Zerbi] deserves the praise because he had a huge impact here on this club. He had great achievements with the players. He reached Europe for the first time, so he deserves this praise.
“On the other side, when the whistle starts, it’s a game between Brighton and Tottenham and our approach is the same.
“We are there to achieve something, we are there to win this game. We are there to keep showing the right habits and therefore that’s our main focus.
“I think everyone is a little bit surprised [where Tottenham are in the table] but on the other hand it’s very important to understand how ruthless the Premier League can be, how tight the Premier League is.
“You need to be at your highest level every weekend. We experienced, with a bad run this season, if you’re not doing the right behaviour daily then you have no chance at the weekend.”