Brighton vs Man Utd FA Cup: Roberto de Zerbi Eyes Europe After Loss

It was only a couple of months ago, before the FA Cup fifth-round victory at Stoke City, that Brighton chief executive Paul Barber came out with words the club will fall back on in the aftermath of their semi-final penalty shootout defeat by Manchester United. Barber had said: “I personally think the best football clubs are really found out when they are tested, when their resilience is tested and when their plan doesn’t quite go the way they expected. If you can ride out some of the bumps and use your resilience as a strength, then you have a sense of calm because you have prepared for it and planned for it and you can deal with it.” Despite the disappointment of missing out on a place in the FA Cup final, Brighton have still managed to stay resilient and remain on track to achieve European qualification for the first time in the club’s history. This is due to the vision of owner Tony Bloom, who has invested £400m into the club, as well as the data-driven recruitment strategy that has taken the club all round the world looking for talent. Manager Roberto de Zerbi has also been key in helping Brighton compete on the pitch, having taken over from Graham Potter and moulded an even more effective team. Now, De Zerbi is looking to take the team even further and is confident in his players’ abilities. He said: “We want to know the plan to understand if we can improve the squad or not. I am always positive. We have to be stronger to compete at this level of football.” With a nine-match run-in that includes fixtures against the Manchester clubs, Arsenal and Newcastle, Brighton are eighth in the Premier League but within striking distance of the three teams immediately above them and have matches in hand. De Zerbi concluded: “We deserve to achieve our target of Europe but football can be cruel and not fair. We have to be ready to fight for the last part of the season, starting with Forest. I told my players I want the same team there as I watched today.”