As The Premier League’s return looms, the obvious question for Brighton fans remains. Can they keep up this form? Under Graham Potter Brighton made incredible starts, both last season and this season, and much like the previous season, Brighton find themselves battling for Europe at Christmas. Of course much is different. First and foremost with the obvious obstacle of the World Cup, less games may have been played compared to last season.
Nevertheless, 21 Points from 14 games in such a competitive season is nothing to laugh at, and with De Zerbi a seemingly worthy successor to Graham Potter, Brighton have not been rocked by the change of personnel. Whilst form has been marred by some inconsistent performances, the 2-1 loss to Aston Villa and 2-0 defeat to Brentford standing out as very winnable fixtures, they have shown incredible character and ability to create much against some of the elite Premier League sides, with De Zerbi’s debut that ended as a 3-3 draw against Liverpool an immediate display of the new Managers potential that featured a magisterial Trossard performance.
Of course the perhaps biggest test of them all was the performance against Chelsea in which The Seagulls trounced Potter’s Chelsea 4-1 in a match almost every Brighton fan would have been desperate to win.
One of the most encouraging signs has been Trossards transformation under De Zerbi, going from a tricky winger often lacking end product, to a talismanic play maker, providing and finishing like the second coming of Prime Eden Hazard. And of course, Mac Allister’s pivotal role in the Argentina set up through their eye-catching World cup run has left multiple big clubs drooling at the prospect of his signature.
Should Mac Allister continue his fine form he could easily be up there among the best midfielders in the Premier League come the end of the season. It’s certainly no coincidence that this uptick in form had exploded under De Zerbi. Most surprising is the re-emergence of Danny Welbeck, a figure always valuable in any team he plays for, but almost everyone would argue his career was waning. Yet, thanks to some inspired performances he has once again found himself a key member of Brighton’s potential European battle with some important contributions.
De Zerbi has imposed his own flavour on Brighton’s tactical approach, remaining somewhat faithful to his predecessor’s successful approach at times with a variation of Potter’s 3-5-2, opting for a slightly more attacking 3-4-1-2. This has produced mixed results, but his most memorable performances have come through switching to a 4-2-3-1, the catalyst behind the 4-1 win against Chelsea and 3-2 win against Wolves. Playing Trossard in a free role and having Gross stick to a more restricted role, has gotten the best out of both players in the system used Vs Liverpool. Whilst the formation may be different for the result against Chelsea, it’s again Trossard’s new found freedom, this time operating as a fluid false nine that seems to have made a massive difference in getting the best out of him.
It is of course still early days, but De Zerbi’s task of replacing a successful manager that was headhunted by a much larger team, is a much harder position than replacing a sacked underperformer. Whilst results have been at times disappointing, there is an incredible amount of promise shown by this Brighton side, and De Zerbi is absolutely a worthy successor to Potter. The Seagulls simply have to adapt and get past this transitional period before they can thrive, which I truly believe they will.
It seems the World cup has been huge for several Brighton Players, with the aforementioned Mac Allister playing alongside Lionel Messi, and still managing to take plaudits from the pundits. Also, the heroic performances of Japan’s Kaoru Mitoma spring to mind; helping his country defy the odds, escaping a terrifying group, and narrowly missing out on a World Cup Quarter Final.
Betting site kasyno blik don’t believe it’s likely that Brighton can make it into the promised land of European football, but with such valiant displays on the world’s biggest stage from key players, and many ‘world class’ players from other premier League teams underperforming, we could be seeing even more of a shake up in league form.
Taking into account the success of Brighton players this world cup, and Trossard’s form in the league, I find it hard not to be optimistic about Brighton’s return. And what a fixture to return with, a south coast derby against a struggling Southampton. This might be the season in which Europe comes to Brighton, and it will be without Potter at the helm.
