De Zerbi Praises Brighton Players For “deserved” 1-1 Draw Against Manchester City

Brighton’s Roberto De Zerbi praised his team for a “deserved” 1-1 draw at home to Manchester City.

Julio Enciso’s 25-yard strike cancelled out Phil Foden’s opening goal in a pulsating draw at the AMEX Stadium, which secured Europa League football next season for the Seagulls.

Brighton’s Head Coach, De Zerbi post-match praised his players for their performance to earn the point, as he commented: “We didn’t receive a gift of the one point, we deserved the result. I am really proud, because I think this one of the best games of the season.

“It was very tough, but we played with incredible quality and courage.”

De Zerbi proceeded to praise his players for their improvement against the reigning champions, as he added: “The improvement of the players has been fantastic and for me it’s very satisfying.

“We had to respect ourselves, the club and our fans and show the courage and that we believe in ourselves to win against the best team in the world. I think we did that.”

Having taken charge of Brighton in mid-September when the club sat fourth in the league, De Zerbi admitted that European qualification wasn’t on his radar for this season initially.

Explaining how he initially envisioned the season unfolding after he succeeded Graham Potter at the AMEX, De Zerbi said: “At the beginning I didn’t put my focus on the target of the Europa League.

“I had to analyse the players, learn about the Premier League and to understand the new country,” added the Italian after an impressive debut season in English Football.

De Zerbi eventually admitted that it wasn’t until February when he believed European qualification was achievable, as he continued: “But step by step I started to think about our potential and in February it was clear in my head that we could fight for a big target.

“The coaches work on tactics, strategy and mentality but first of all there is the passion and energy. In the last part of the season I watched the players not only give their best but more. Without it we couldn’t achieve this target – we deserve to play in the Europa League.”