Roberto De Zerbi reflected on his decision regarding Joao Pedro’s playing time, attributing the Brazilian’s bench role in the 3-0 defeat by Arsenal to his extended stint on the field during the Brentford match after a two-month injury layoff.
De Zerbi admitted, “I made a mistake at Brentford because Joao Pedro couldn’t play in the first XI (on Saturday) because I kept him on the pitch for 90 minutes.” He elaborated, “In my head before the Brentford game was to change him after 65 minutes. But to try to win the game and on the bench there wasn’t another striker, I made a mistake.”
Looking ahead, De Zerbi emphasized the importance of having a full week to prepare for matches, stating, “When we prepare the game with the right time and not every three days we are a completely different team.”
