Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi sends thank you message to Graham Potter after Chelsea sacking

Brighton boss Roberto de Zerbi has thanked Graham Potter for leaving him with a side possessing a “very good mentality and a very good attitude” following his sacking at Chelsea.

The Italian took over at Brighton following Potter’s move to Stamford Bridge earlier this season. He has since led the club to sixth in the Premier League table, above the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea.

He has also guided the south coast outfit to the FA Cup semi-final. Ahead of Tuesday’s visit to Bournemouth, De Zerbi was questioned on the sackings of former Leicester City boss Brendan Rodgers and Potter, after the pair were both dismissed on Sunday.

De Zerbi pointed out that coaches take the brunt of criticism but that not all of it should lie at their door - and thanked Potter for the positive shape he left Brighton in before his arrival.

“I’m sorry and it’s bad news for the coaches. There is too much importance on coaches - players are the most important,” he said.

“I don’t like it when coaches are sacked because responsibility is also on players and the clubs. I’m lucky to have these players, they are the most important.

“I have a team with very good mentality, very good attitude... I have to thank Graham Potter.”

De Zerbi is targeting more improvement from his Brighton side, as they seek to claim a European place and a second Wembley date, if they overcome their FA Cup semi-final against Man United.

He added: “We are playing very well at the moment but if we want to reach our target, we have to improve. Our target is to play in Europe. Which competition, we will see but we want to play three times a week next year!

“Our away form is not my record, it is the record of the players. We are pleased with our form. We are defending well in general. You need to concentrate more when defending set pieces, but it is not the main problem.”