by our correspondent
BRIGHTON The chirping of seagulls in the distance, as soon as you get off the train that connects Gatwick airport to Brighton, is the first thing that strikes you. Strong, continuous, prolonged. It is therefore not the classic stereotype that the team of De Zerbi both nicknamed the seagulls. In King Roads, the city seafront, despite the strong wind, there are dozens of seagulls. Animals that, while embodying the need for freedom, are also synonymous with rebirth and hope. The one that De Zerbi, despite the 0-4 in the first leg at the Olimpico, did not lose. From Rossiwho knows his friend well, is aware of this and doesn’t trust it: “We have to think about scoring goals, not just not scoring them because we risk lowering ourselves too much and never coming out.”
It is a warning to sailors. Bove, next to him in the press room, nods. In fact, the current Brighton will not be the same as last year or the first days of this season but there is one fact that should not be underestimated. If it is true that in the last 4 matches he has scored only one goal, in the last 80 days he has won 6 times. In five of these (Tottenham, Stoke, Sheffield in the FA Cup, Crystal Palace and Sheffield again this time in the Premier) they scored at least 4 goals. And there is a precedent, which concerns De Zerbi himself, capable of recovering with Foggia from a defeat in the Italian Cup against Siena in 2016 (first leg 2-5, second leg 6-1): «But even at the Olimpico they had the their opportunities, we must be careful. Roberto is brilliant and surprising. It must also be said that he lost 2-3 important players but the team I saw in Rome is competitive and can score goals for many teams.” Including Roma who, if they really have an Achilles’ heel in the new DDR management, is in the defensive phase (14 goals conceded in 11 matches): «But it’s also true that we’re scoring a lot – claims Daniele – conceding goals isn’t a drama. We have to think that if we were to score one or two, conceding six would be a lot for Brighton. Just prepare a game like this. Then I was a footballer and I know that perhaps the result of the first leg is buzzing in your head. There may be a minimum of relaxation but there will also be their anxiety in watching the clock tick.”
Brighton-Roma: where to watch it on TV (free) and streaming, probable lineups and time
QUESTION OF APPROACH
Precisely with this in mind, those who suspect a possible management of the huge success of a week ago refer back to the sender: «What does management mean? For a coach and a player it’s bread and butter. You have to know how to control the moments, the results, your body. We are wrong if we give a speculative meaning to the term, it doesn’t mean that we have scored 4 goals and then we will close ourselves in the area hoping that they don’t score as many. Managing means recognizing the phases of the game. If there is a match in which we did this, it was the first leg, when they had the ball in their hands in the second half and we were good at staying covered and starting on the counterattack.” The absence of Lukaku – who remained in Rome – should therefore not be counted as a classic turnover: «Romelu has a hip problem, if he has been carrying it around for months, perhaps years. When he pops up again he has to handle it with some rest. I don’t know how long, but for the last 2 days he has been telling me that he couldn’t come. Dybala? He is here with us.” Even if, after the fatigue he had in Florence, he should start from the bench. Up front, room for Azmoun and Baldanzi. According to Daniele, when choosing the formation, not even an evaluation will be carried out on the players who have been booked for a booking (Cristante, Ndicka, Spinazzola and Paredes): «I won’t tell the players who have been booked for a booking to be careful and not get yellow, that would be starting on the wrong foot». Precisely what should be avoided this evening.
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1970-01-01 00:00:00
#score #goals #wont #defending
