Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi is looking for a “good answer” when his side face Southampton on Boxing Day tomorrow (Monday 26 December).
De Zerbi wants his players to bounce back from their League Cup exit at Charlton Athletic that left them “angry”.
The Seagulls’ first match back in action after the World Cup ended in a 4-3 defeat on penalties to the League One strugglers on Wednesday (21 December).
The match was settled with penalties after a goalless draw – and De Zerbi apologised afterwards to Brighton’s travelling fans.
He told a press conference before Brighton’s Premier League match at Southampton: “Charlton was a bad result. We are angry for this game.
“We lost a game we could win easy, in terms of chances to score. I think we didn’t play bad. I think we played a good game – not a fantastic game – but a good game enough to win.
“But we have to learn when there is these type of games, we have to be more aggressive to find the right moment to score, because I think in the game we thought, ‘ok, the next action we score, the next action we score,’ and the time goes on. This was a problem for me.”
De Zerbi, who succeeded Graham Potter in September after managing in his homeland and then at Shakhtar Donetsk, added: “For me, when there is football, it is always like Christmas Day.
“Now we want to play a great game because the result with Charlton was difficult to accept.
“This period, Christmas, in Italy, was totally different, but for me nothing can change. I’m happy to play on Boxing Day. It doesn’t change anything. I’m focused only on Southampton, to prepare the best way for the game.
“It’s a difficult game but I believe in my players and I think they suffered the last result and I wait for a good answer on the pitch.”
Brighton, currently seventh in the Premier League table, face a Southampton outfit perched second-bottom.
Last month the Saints sacked boss Ralph Hasenhuttl and replaced him with former Seagulls player and coach Nathan Jones.
Jones oversaw a 3-1 defeat at Liverpool in the Saints’ final match before the World Cup break, then a 2-1 home win over Lincoln City in the League Cup on Wednesday.
De Zerbi said: “They changed their coach. They won the last game in the Carabao Cup. It’s a good team with good players.
“But in this game I think we have to think only of our players, of our team, because we have quality. We have good players to win the game, to play better. We are improving in a lot of things.”
