[Albion] Roberto De Zerbi: "Now we don't have high motivation"

[Bry Nylon]

Before I start into this RDZ pile in is there a chance that his English has tripped him up here? Substitute the word motivation with confidence and it reads very differently.

Yes, I think there is something in this. I don’t believe “motivation” in the way it is typically understood in spoken English is the word De Zerbi was looking for, especially given how it would inevitably play out with fans.

I believe what he really meant was incentive given that the targets (top 10, Europe, cup final etc whatever) they would have set themselves as a group, pre-season, are now unattainable.

I’m no massive de Zerbi fan but on this occasion I do believe he has inadvertently misspoken rather than reveal a lack of motivation in the group

 

[trueblue]

I think he just got Roma away totally wrong.

And from that moment the season was over in Europe - and given how much hype and emphasis was around Europe, I can perfectly well see why the motivation/ desire / enthusiasm dropped. It did for me - so why would it not have done for the players and staff?

It shouldn’t have dropped away because there was still every chance of qualifying for Europe again. Fairly demoralising for the players though to have a manager repeatedly saying his squad’s not good enough and making it appear he was keen to jump ship. A lot of what De Zerbi feels about the club’s approach might be justified but making that a public conversation was far from shrewd.

 

[chickens]

So 1 win in ten currently; add another 4 no wins until end of season. Then we don’t win until Nov next season, so…what 1 win in 30 before you pull the trigger? Hmmm, very generous!

As I say, I don’t believe the coach is (in himself) an issue.

There’s a huge combination of different factors at play here. From last summer’s transfers to injuries to European hangover and individual player morale.

Not all of this falls at the coach’s door. Some of this is on the club and some of this is on the players. We win together and we lose together. I’m not going to start screaming for the coach’s head at our first bad run of form. He’s chosen by the club and has earned the right to be given time to turn it around.

I’m not in denial that our recent form has been dogshit, but some of our fixtures have been against very good teams, and some of our goals conceded are what happens when you play a squad with young players in. Our job is to suck this up, because Brighton can’t afford to buy Champions League ready players. We buy prospects and sharpen them up. RDZ has had to accept that, it’s about time some of us did too.

 

[Pliny the Gull]

When Fati plays, NSC en masse destroys him as a rubbish footballer and physicality bottler.

Exactly. When he plays ? If he plays? Ajax A ? Man City A? Itching to get on Liverpool A?
We're we expecting 25 goals ?

 

[dangull]

I think people are reading, too much on this. He's just saying that there are no goals left in the season. The team is in a comfortable position in mid-table and any chance of a European place is not possible.
He will be highly motivated to go again next season with the injured players back and the replacement players bought to replace Mac, Caicedo, Trossard, Mwepo which the board this season decided to do with cheap punts and projects.

 

[lasvegan]

It shouldn’t have dropped away because there was still every chance of qualifying for Europe again. Fairly demoralising for the players though to have a manager repeatedly saying his squad’s not good enough and making it appear he was keen to jump ship. A lot of what De Zerbi feels about the club’s approach might be justified but making that a public conversation was far from shrewd.

It’s a little like Klopp’s decision to make it publicly known he was leaving at the end of the season. Their performances took a nosedive.

 

[Weststander]

I think people are reading, too much on this. He's just saying that there are no goals left in the season. The team is in a comfortable position in mid-table and any chance of a European place is not possible.
He will be highly motivated to go again next season with the injured players back and the replacement players bought to replace Mac, Caicedo, Trossard, Myepo which the board this season decided to do with cheap punts and projects.

We can all agree on that!

 

[StonehamPark]

I think people are reading, too much on this. He's just saying that there are no goals left in the season. The team is in a comfortable position in mid-table and any chance of a European place is not possible.
He will be highly motivated to go again next season with the injured players back and the replacement players bought to replace Mac, Caicedo, Trossard, Mwepo which the board this season decided to do with cheap punts and projects.

 

[holybanjo]

The relationship between players and coach has broken down by the looks of it and I would expect the board too. If RDZ is placed on gardening leave, what kind of tactics would we revert to with Lallana as interim ?

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

Yes, I think there is something in this. I don’t believe “motivation” in the way it is typically understood in spoken English is the word De Zerbi was looking for, especially given how it would inevitably play out with fans.

I believe what he really meant was incentive given that the targets (top 10, Europe, cup final etc whatever) they would have set themselves as a group, pre-season, are now unattainable.

I’m no massive de Zerbi fan but on this occasion I do believe he has inadvertently misspoken rather than reveal a lack of motivation in the group

I'm not convinced it makes it much better (I also don't really buy the differentiation, but that's semantics really).

I don't mean that in a "he doesn't want to be here, he should f*** off" way.

I mean that it's pretty much management 101 to not admit that something doesn't matter as much, because that naturally encourages players (or whoever you're managing in any line of work) to put less effort in.

 

[Weststander]

The relationship between players and coach has broken down by the looks of it and I would expect the board too. If RDZ is placed on gardening leave, what kind of tactics would we revert to with Lallana as interim ?

Very, very, very slow football.

 

[Pavilionaire]

1. I think his basic grasp of English has let him down. I think he meant incentive, rather than motivation - a subtle but crucial difference.

2. Professional pride to finish in the top half of the table should be incentive / motivation enough. For most of us a top half finish and knockout stages of Europe is a successful season, but to go from 9th then 6th then 12th would be a step backwards.

3. If De Zerbii is the real deal he should have got more out of this squad of players than he has. 6 wins out of 28 is pretty ordinary.

 

[VojFromMars]

Everyone's motivation was spot on 143 days ago, vs Marseille at home. Injuries must play a part since then. The Roma away was a massive reality check. RDZ poorly managed that. Since then, it's catch up. Which is constantly changing selections to fit his system, instead of finding a system to fit the players. And I don't apologise for again saying this. But why Fati has not played, or been given an opportunity in the 2nd half of the season, is arrogance on one of their parts. To finish
1 I hope he has another season to push on.
2 The rhodendrom in the garden has fully bloomed splendidly, when I walked out to view this am, despite the unseasonably weather.

Hey there pals.

I remember telling you some 8 months ago RDZ was prospected last summer to be the coach of Olympique de Marseille. While I wasn't really laughed out loud, you guys were really standing your ground. RDZ wasn't even considering coming to Marseille as he was enjoying Brighton. I believed and I still believe he would have been much more of a fit for our chaotic city and team than for yours.

Truth to be said, I feel your pain. Now ... AS Roma are not really newbies. And they do have a nice team. Together (your team and our experience) with RDZ I could have fancied fireworks.

Cheers ! Please, don't be too hard on RDZ

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

Perhaps they should give training a miss one day next week and go on a day trip to France, do lots of shopping and have a slap up meal

They would probably all sit down at the restaurant and pass the menu around for two hours and then go home without ordering anything.

 

[Guinness Boy]

When Fati plays, NSC en masse destroys him as a rubbish footballer and physicality bottler.

Honestly one of the biggest disappointments of my football watching life.

My son was Barca mad when he was younger and we've been there for games and watched a lot of La Liga (NSC will be glad his second love is now the Bundesliga and Leverkusen, but I digress). Fati, honestly at 16 was incredible. Holding his own in a Barca first team and the Spanish national side.

I think he's simply a case of a player who peaked too soon, thanks mainly to a nasty injury while still physically developing. It's a big risk with playing kids who are good enough but still growing. We saw it to a lesser extent with Lamptey. Explosive player when we first got him but now his first five yards have gone and he looks bang average. We'll have to see what happens with Hinshlewood. This, to an extent, is why I'd like to see tweaks to recruitment to bring in a fully formed player or two.

The Fati here is a pastiche of pre-injury Barca Fati. He looks like he's heading for League One.

 

[Farehamseagull]

They would probably all sit down at the restaurant and pass the menu around for two hours and then go home without ordering anything.

And knock their glasses of table water over as they passed the menu round, spilling water everywhere and smashing the glasses.

 

[dazzer6666]

1. I think his basic grasp of English has let him down. I think he meant incentive, rather than motivation - a subtle but crucial difference.

2. Professional pride to finish in the top half of the table should be incentive / motivation enough. For most of us a top half finish and knockout stages of Europe is a successful season, but to go from 9th then 6th then 12th would be a step backwards.

3. If De Zerbii is the real deal he should have got more out of this squad of players than he has. 6 wins out of 28 is pretty ordinary.

Ideally yes re 2 but even subconsciously that’s incredibly difficult for the team. Seems our target was European qualification - with that gone, it nigh on impossible to be at 100% to try to get, say, 10th.

 

[oldboyroy]

Jeff Stelling this morning suggesting that with his team selection yesterday was poor with more experience on the bench. "If I was Tony Bloom watching he'll be thinking what are you playing at Roberto, you're costing me money with premier league places up for grabs" were Jeff's words.

 

[eastterracemike]

It shouldn’t have dropped away because there was still every chance of qualifying for Europe again. Fairly demoralising for the players though to have a manager repeatedly saying his squad’s not good enough and making it appear he was keen to jump ship. A lot of what De Zerbi feels about the club’s approach might be justified but making that a public conversation was far from shrewd.

THIS

 

[Springal]

Jeff Stelling this morning suggesting that with his team selection yesterday was poor with more experience on the bench. "If I was Tony Bloom watching he'll be thinking what are you playing at Roberto, you're costing me money with premier league places up for grabs" were Jeff's words.

Jeff’s son follows us as well doesn’t he ?