If Antonio Conte’s record against new Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi is anything to go by, prepare for a classic at the Amex Stadium tomorrow evening.
In four Serie A meetings between Conte’s Inter Milan and De Zerbi’s Sassuolo, there were 19 goals (4.75 a game), including a 3-3 draw and a 4-3 win for Conte’s side during his first season in Milan in 2019-20. The following year, Inter won 3-0 at Sassuolo and 2-1 at home, to leave Conte unbeaten against De Zerbi (right).
Clearly, though, the 43-year-old knows how to get at Conte sides, which should give the Tottenham head coach pause for thought ahead of the game.
Their meetings in Italy also shed light on how the match is likely to unfold. In all four games, minnows Sassuolo enjoyed more possession than Inter, despite having vastly inferior players, and, remarkably, in Inter’s 2-1 win at the San Siro in April 2021, the visitors had more than 70 per cent of the ball and 15 shots to their hosts’ seven.
While there may be some similarities in the two Italians’ uncompromising demands on their players in training, they favour very different styles of play.
Brighton already have an established brand of possession football thanks to Graham Potter, and De Zerbi is in the unusual position for a new coach of taking charge of a side who are already well-drilled, confident and with a defined style of play.
The Seagulls, who drew 3-3 with Liverpool in De Zerbi’s first game in charge, will look to dominate the ball, which should suit Conte’s Spurs, who are usually happy to play on the break.
But if Spurs continue to look clunky in the final third and make mistakes at the back, as they did in last weekend’s defeat at Arsenal, there is a risk in allowing Brighton to dominate. Conte is considering switching system to a 3-5-2 and introducing Yves Bissouma against his former club, particularly if Dejan Kulusevski is absent.
Bissouma, a £25million summer signing, has made only one start so far, but would help his new side from being overrun in midfield.
Conte will be without Emerson Royal, who is suspended after his red card at Arsenal, but insisted this week that neither Djed Spence nor Matt Doherty is ready to start, so Ivan Perisic is likely to switch to the right, with Ryan Sessegnon on the left.
