De Zerbi: Palace the perfect game after Luton defeat

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Albion take on the Eagles at the Amex on Saturday.

Charlie Hanson

2024-02-03T08:00:00Z

Roberto De Zerbi's team head into Saturday's game sat ninth in the Premier League table.

Roberto De Zerbi can’t think of a better game than Saturday’s clash with Crystal Palace to respond to his team’s defeat to Luton Town.

The Hatters ran out 4-0 winners at Kenilworth Road – a performance De Zerbi labelled ‘the worst in our life’.

Because of that, he expects his team to show their true colours against Roy Hodgson’s team.

“It’s a perfect game, after one defeat so tough where we have suffered,” Roberto said. “The most important game for us – [because] a derby isn’t a normal game – it’s the perfect game in this moment.

“The game will be tough because Crystal Palace are playing very well, they have good players. But we have to think what we suffered after the Luton game. I would like my players on Friday evening and on Saturday morning to think about how much they suffered, during, immediately after, the day after and two days after the game.”

Our Italian head coach was impressed by our away support in Bedfordshire on Tuesday, who stayed to applaud the team off the pitch despite the trying circumstances.

Jan Paul van Hecke apologises to the Albion fans after the loss at Kenilworth Road.

“We usually speak about our fans but it is not something new, it is normal. It is part of our work.

“It is an important part of our work, of our team. The reaction of our fans was great, amazing.

“I remember when we won 6-0, 4-0, 5-1 or 3-0, the other fans, they went home.”

Roy Hodgson's managerial career began in 1976.

At 76 Palace boss Hodgson is the oldest manager in Premier League history and is a man De Zerbi has a huge amount of respect for.

“We spoke a lot before the game at Palace’s stadium, it was an honour for me because I am younger than Roy and he is an example for me and the other young coaches. I can’t reach his age on the bench, but he’s a great man, a football man.

“We spoke in Italian about Italian football, his experience in Italy, my difficulty working in the Premier League and difficulty for the language, Italian for him and English for me. It was a very nice meeting.”