‘You have to know every single detail on the pitch’

Simon Stone, BBC Sport

Brighton striker Danny Welbeck is reluctant to make direct comparisons between former managers Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger and current boss Roberto De Zerbi because there are “different ways to success”.

Welbeck won two Premier League titles under Ferguson at Manchester United before five injury-hit years under Wenger at Arsenal.

Now working under De Zerbi, the 32-year-old is enjoying a career renaissance on the south coast – making 37 appearances last season as the Seagulls finished sixth and qualified for European football for the first time.

“The game has changed since I started playing in the Premier League,” says Welbeck.

“Tactically, the detail that goes into each game is huge. Especially playing under this manager, you have to know every single detail on the pitch – not just for your position, but for all the positions.”

Despite De Zerbi’s impact since replacing Graham Potter in September – not going two games without a victory all season after a five-game winless start – the Italian is not allowing his players time to bask in their success.

“You can’t do one good season and think that is enough,” added Welbeck. “It is never enough. That is a lot of what the manager says.

“He wants us to be pushing on. If we have one good performance, he wants the next one to be even better, and the next one has to be better again.

“It is the same with the seasons. Obviously it is over a longer period of time, but the manager has the desire to improve every single person at the club and he instils the belief that we want to be better.

“There is no resting. We are going to push ourselves and see what we can do in every single competition this year.”

Read the full article on Welbeck