Stade Rennais coach Julien Stéphan has hailed Brighton and Hove Albion manager Roberto de Zerbi, revealing he is ‘drawing inspiration’ from the work he’s done with the Seagulls.
The French coach has been speaking to RMC Sport about his return to the French club, who he joined in November, and how he is doing things differently this time around.
Stéphan returned to the club earlier this year to replace Bruno Genesio at the helm of the club after they had slipped to 13th in Ligue 1 on the back of four defeats and a winless run of five.
It is his second spell in charge of the French side after he managed them for 110 games between December 2018 and March 2021.
Part of that adaptation has been learning from other coaches and he’s revealed one he’s kept a particular eye on is Roberto de Zerbi at Brighton.
“When I watch the teams of certain coaches, I enjoy myself,” he said.
“But the question I ask myself is whether you can win by playing like that. That’s the question I’m asking myself.
“That’s why I admire his work. But when you change club category, we will no longer only ask you for good play, we will have to win. We will have to win.
“I think that a coach is first and foremost a thief of ideas. A coach has the duty to observe, to watch what is happening… and the duty to go and steal what suits him and what with what he is comfortable being able to apply it to his players.
“Obviously De Zerbi, like other coaches, has an influence on my perception of things.”
