Roberto De Zerbi Background
As a coach, De Zerbi is known for his commitment to attacking football. In his playing style, he emphasizes quick ball movement, creative attacking movements, and fluid positional play. The teams of De Zerbi are often praised for their entertaining style of football and their willingness to take risks.
De Zerbi has shown an impressive ability to adapt his tactics to his players' strengths throughout his coaching career. His approach is flexible, making adjustments according to the opponent and the players at his disposal, not bound by a rigid system. It is because of this adaptability that he has been successful with a variety of clubs, ranging from lower-tier teams to mid-table sides.
He has also been praised for his man-management approach. Known for creating a positive and supportive environment for his players, he has helped them develop and grow as footballers. Players often praise him for his ability to communicate effectively and motivate them.
Even though De Zerbi's coaching career is still relatively young, he has already made a significant impact on the on football.
Some De Zerbi opinions on training methods caught our attention at a recent coaching conference.
Roberto De Zerbi View on Training
“In the game, you have fast actions, and sometimes one player overloads, sometimes none, we don't see situations of 4 or 5 player overloads. In conditioning or confidence building, a large overload may be useful, but in training for the game, a minimal overload is better” - Roberto De Zerbi
The above quote from a Roberto De Zerbi coaching conference in 2021 captivated us greatly and certainly will challenge many coaches. How many coaches use big overloads in their training sessions. De Zerbi says that big overloads rarely occur in the game, so they don't translate well to the game. As a conditioning or confidence builder, De Zerbi respects the benefits of such practices. Nevertheless, De Zerbi pointed out that there is rarely more than one player overload situations in a football game, so coaches should expose their players to situations with limited overloads.
The Take Away
When coaches reflect on their sessions, it will certainly challenge their thinking. In possession practices, how often do we create big overloads? When replicating the game, how realistic are big overload scenarios? That's some interesting food for thought!