It is a measure of how much Brighton & Hove Albion have progressed under Roberto De Zerbi that any defeat — irrespective of the strength of the opposition — is accompanied by an element of disappointment.
They command a different level of respect now from rivals, as the Italian reaches 50 Premier League games in charge away to traditional enemies Crystal Palace.
De Zerbi’s record over 49 matches in the top tier is impressive for a club that was bottom-six fodder until Graham Potter lifted them to ninth two seasons ago before leaving for Chelsea.
Twenty-one wins have contributed to a total of 75 points, an average of 1.53 points per game. That is equivalent to just over 58 points across a 38-game season, establishing Brighton as a club looking up inside the top 10 rather than looking down in fear of relegation.
The trip to Selhurst Park comes a week after delirious scenes at the Amex Stadium after the 1-0 win over Marseille, which clinched top place in the group at the expense of their French opponents and a place in the last 16 of the Europa League.
De Zerbi’s passion has shone through (Nick Potts/PA Images via Getty Images)
That was one of the many highs under De Zerbi, along with victories last season away to Arsenal and Chelsea and at home to Liverpool and Manchester United that played a part in delivering a club-best sixth-place finish and European football for the first time.
They have far outweighed the lows of 16 losses, the latest away to Arsenal on the weekend. Mikel Arteta’s reaction to the 2-0 win, which took his team top of the table, was telling.
Arteta described it as a “phenomenal performance”, because of “the demands that Brighton put on you”. He added: “They (his side) showed a lot of determination against a team that wants to take the ball off you and press you really high.
“(Brighton) go man-to-man a lot up the field. You have to be very, very clever to understand what you have to do in every moment because you are always on that edge that, if you make a wrong step, they’re going to punish you.”
There have only been 11 more draws across his 49 league games since De Zerbi’s reign was launched by a 3-3 thriller against Liverpool at Anfield. That, together with a plus-16 goal difference, highlights that De Zerbi is not a stalemate kind of head coach. He is positive and adventurous.
His influence stretches beyond his achievements with Brighton. His brand of high-risk for high-reward football — playing out from the back with forensic precision, enticing the opposition on and then attacking with fluency — makes his team enjoyable to watch. Matches involving them are hardly ever dull.
He has charisma by the bucket load. He is irascible in the technical area too — one red card, five yellows and two touchline bans testify to that, although most of the time his melodramatic reactions relate to one of his players making a wrong choice of pass rather than the officials’ decision-making. Before and after games, De Zerbi more often than not has something interesting to say in media interviews with his increasingly competent command of English.
Talks are continuing over a new contract that would stretch De Zerbi’s deal beyond 2026; Brighton are not naive. That is as much about protecting their interests if a bigger and better offer comes his way as it is evidence of long-term commitment.
Having said that, De Zerbi is instinctively loyal. And at a progressive club competing in the best league in the world, with an owner-chairman in Tony Bloom who is good to work for and a structure for the recruitment of players widely admired, the list of attractive alternatives is not exactly vast.
Domestically, De Zerbi is not the type of character that Manchester United normally appoint, even if the saga of Sir Jim Ratcliffe buying a 25 per cent stake intensifies uncertainty over the future of Erik ten Hag.
De Zerbi has been in trouble with officials (GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images)
De Zerbi has been touted as an ideal successor to Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, but the Spaniard’s contract does not run out until 2025.
Jurgen Klopp is reinvigorated at Liverpool, Arteta is not going anywhere soon, while vacancies at Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea no longer exist following the summer appointments of Ange Postecoglou and Mauricio Pochettino, two managers appointed to oversee long-term projects.
What about further opportunities abroad after De Zerbi spent a season in the Champions League with Shakhtar Donetsk, curtailed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine? The 44-year-old has been speculatively linked with succeeding Carlo Ancelotti at Real Madrid, who himself has been rumoured to the Brazil job.
A return to his homeland to manage one of the Serie A leading clubs at some point in the future feels more plausible, but that point is unlikely to be any time soon. For example, AC Milan and Napoli — two of De Zerbi’s former clubs in his playing career — are likely to be dissuaded by the cost of hiring him.
So, there is a strong chance that De Zerbi will still be Brighton’s head coach next season and, quite possibly, beyond.
He is not immune to criticism. He exposed James Milner by playing the 37-year-old at left-back against Jeremy Doku at Manchester City in October and against Bukayo Saka at the Emirates on Sunday.
Even though squad rotation was inevitable with the addition of European football, compounded by a devastating injury list, De Zerbi has arguably overdone the tinkering.
He has made 72 changes to the league starting XI in 17 games and 81 substitutions, putting him top of the table on both counts. He continues to swap between goalkeepers Bart Verbruggen and Jason Steele, which can be seen as counter-productive to defensive cohesion.
It is not surprising that results have been inconsistent with so much chopping and changing, although a club record 21 games without a clean sheet in the league can be attributed in part to the summer sale of defensive midfielder Moises Caicedo to Chelsea.
De Zerbi also lost Caicedo’s midfield accomplice Alexis Mac Allister to Liverpool in the summer, plus Chelsea and England central defender Levi Colwill on the expiry of his loan.
All things considered, it is remarkable that De Zerbi reaches his Premier League half-century with Brighton ninth in the table on 26 points, one place and one point worse off than they were at the corresponding stage last season.
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(Photo: Jacques Feeney/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)