Roberto De Zerbi says he would rather lose the Champions League final with Pep Guardiola on the bench than win it with another manager.
“German football is tactically more advanced than Italian football, but we read games better,” De Zerbi told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Tuchel is a great coach but I’d rather lose the Champions League final with Guardiola on the bench than win it with another coach. However, City won and dominated the Premier League with the best defense,” he said. he continued.
De Zerbi was appointed Shakhtar coach earlier this month and explained why he left Sassuolo for Ukraine.
“Some Italian clubs called me, but I think it was the right choice. I don’t care about the money or the country, I just want to be myself, ”he revealed.
“The Shakhtar convinced me, transfer strategies must be shared, both in terms of sales and new recruits. My priority was to be able to work according to my ideas.
“Everything about the pitch should be up to me. I can complete myself here with training in English and in front of a changing room of foreign players. I always said I didn’t care about the name of the club, I cared about the project.
“Winning the championship is our main goal, the season starts on July 20th. Then we have the Champions League qualifiers. It will be a difficult but exciting experience. I left my comfort zone to challenge myself.
De Zerbi is delighted to see three of his former players join the Italian national team for the Euro.
“Locatelli, Raspadori and Berardi go to the Euro because they are really strong. They are good, smart guys, ”he said.
“Raspadori has already proven that he can make a difference in Serie A. He’s similar to Aguero, but he’s not only good inside the box. When he falls deep to pick up the ball, he has the quality of a No.10.
“He’s not very tall, but he’s strong physically. Height is not everything. He never gives up, it’s hard to play against him.
