‘What you have done in the past is not important’: Roberto De Zerbi accuses his Brighton side of being mentally weak after a shock 5-1 defeat at home to Everton
- Roberto De Zerbi was heavily critical of Brighton after their 5-1 defeat to Everton
- De Zerbi accused his team of being mentally weak after the heavy defeat
- The defeat is a blow to Brighton’s European qualification hopes
Roberto De Zerbi accused the Brighton players of being mentally weak when he held a furious enquiry in the dressing room at Amex Stadium after the match.
Everton started the day as the lowest scorer of all 92 clubs in the Premier League and EFL, but finished with five goals from counter-attacks.
That lifted Sean Dyche’s team out of the bottom three, but killed Brighton’s push for Europe under De Zerbi.
Everton’s Neal Maupay waited more than half an hour past full-time to see old Brighton teammates, but they were still tied to De Zerbi.
Afterwards, the Italian didn’t hold back when he said: ‘We haven’t forgotten the win against Manchester United. The greatest quality of the big team is to forget when you win. You have to be ready to play every game, every day, and we arrived at the stadium late – in the second half.’
Roberto De Zerbi accused Brighton of being mentally weak when they were thrashed by Everton
Brighton were left dejected as they suffered a shock 5-1 defeat at home to Everton
Brighton beat United 1-0 on the Amex on Thursday, but were 3-0 down to Everton at half time, and they face Arsenal next.
“If you’ve seen the game with Man United, and if you’ve seen this game, you can watch two completely different teams,” De Zerbi added. ‘What’s the problem? The problem may be mental – in your head.
“I hope we can remember this date for a long time. What you have done in the past is not important. It doesn’t count. We are Brighton. We won against Liverpool, against Man United, against Chelsea, not because there is a top coach, not because there are top players, but because we showed pride, we showed courage, energy, passion.’
Sean Dyche says there is still more work for Everton after their emphatic victory
Everton will face Manchester City next and this was a good day for Dyche. His son Max was promoted from League Two with Northampton.
“The feel-good factor is very important,” Dyche said. “But I said to them, ‘Guys, it’s just another step.’ I said that after Arsenal. We’ve taken another step, but there are still three big steps to take.’
Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford added: “We have three more cup finals and we have to keep going. We have to keep believing and focus on Everton, not what’s around us.’