Ghanaian defender, Tariq Lamptey, has shed light on the reasons behind the successful first season of Italian manager Roberto De Zerbi at Brighton & Hove Albion.
De Zerbi, who previously coached Sassuolo, took over the reins from Graham Potter early in the season after Potter’s departure to Chelsea.
Under De Zerbi’s guidance, Brighton & Hove Albion achieved a historic feat by securing European qualification for the first time in their history, finishing in sixth place in the recently concluded campaign.
Lamptey attributes the team’s transformation and success to the impact of De Zerbi, who has proven to be a skillful and influential manager.
His managerial prowess has made Brighton & Hove Albion a formidable side, enabling them to achieve remarkable results and earn their spot in European competition.
“I have worked under two great coaches [Potter] and [De Zerbi] now and we have played attractive football.
We always try to be on the front foot and score a lot of goals and it is entertaining to watch, to be honest,” he told Citi Sport, as quoted by GHANA Soccernet.
He said the tendency of Brighton to pass was something practiced during training and the Italian helped bring these techniques into games.
Under De Zerbi, the Seagulls have beaten some of the best sides in England, including Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool.
Following their success this season, Brighton will now compete in the Europa League.
“Qualifying to play in Europe is amazing. It is the first time in the history of the club and it is very exciting to be part of this achievement,” Lamptey added.
The 22-year-old has been out of action since March after picking up an injury in the match against West Ham United, as reported by The Athletic.
Lamptey missed Ghana’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Angola and has been ruled out of the upcoming game against Madagascar in June.
Lamptey explains Ghana switch
Previously, Sports Brief reported that ex-England youth international, Lamptey revealed why he switched nationalities to Black Stars.
Although he was born in England to Ghanaian parents and represented the country at a youth level, he changed to the west Africans in June last year.
Lamptey was eventually named in Ghana’s national squad for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, having made his debut against Brazil in September that year.