Guardiola praises Brighton manager.

Pep Guardiola believes that his colleague Roberto De Zerbi is one of the most influential coaches in football over the past 20 years.

"I had a feeling that when De Zerbi arrived, his impact on the Premier League was huge, but I didn't think he would achieve that in such a short time," Pep Guardiola praised his colleague on Sky Sports on May 23. "No team plays the way Brighton plays; they have a unique style of play. Brighton create 20 or 25 chances per game, much better than most of their opponents. He has helped Brighton control the ball in a way that no team has done in a long time. They fully deserve their success this season and are a team I try to learn from."

Guardiola (right) and De Zerbi during the first leg match between Man City and Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: Reuters — Guardiola (right) and De Zerbi during the first leg match between Man City and Brighton at the Etihad Stadium. Photo: *Reuters*

Manager Roberto De Zerbi made history by leading Brighton to their first-ever European Cup appearance in 121 years. Beyond qualifying for the continental competition, De Zerbi also set another historical milestone by becoming the manager who has led Brighton to the most points in a single Premier League season with 61 points, and with two games remaining to break this record.

"De Zerbi is one of the most influential managers of the last 20 years, making Brighton like a Michelin-starred restaurant, very unique," Guardiola continued. "What makes them special is their decision-making. Brighton are masters of timing their passes to players in open spaces – they are the best in the world at that. Their tempo and ball control are as excellent as they were under Potter."

After Graham Potter joined Chelsea at the start of the season, Brighton appointed De Zerbi on a four-year contract. He led Brighton to 19 wins, 6 draws, and 12 losses, securing European qualification and reaching the FA Cup semi-finals – where they lost to Manchester United on penalties.

Coach De Zerbi is 43 years old. He was an attacking midfielder who played for many Italian clubs such as AC Milan, Salernitana, and Napoli, and began his coaching career at Darfo Boario. After that, De Zerbi successively managed Foggia, Palermo, Benevento, Sassuolo, and made a name for himself at Shakhtar Donetsk. He became the first Italian coach to win the Italian Super Cup when he led Shakhtar to victory over Dynamo Kyiv in Kyiv in September 2021, but he soon left the club due to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.

Brighton will face newly crowned champions Pep Guardiola's Manchester City at 2 AM tomorrow, May 25th, Hanoi time. After that, Guardiola's team will play Brentford in the final round of the Premier League, before facing Manchester United in the FA Cup final on June 3rd and Inter Milan in the Champions League final on June 11th.

Vy Anh

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