The WAB Brighton Player Power Rankings: May 2021
It was not even close at the top of the final WAB Power Rankings of the season as Yves Bissouma absolutely hosed up, finishing a massive 5.38 points ahead of his nearest rival as the best Brighton player in May 2021.
Ben White enjoyed an excellent month which culminated in his first call up for England, but not even he could hang onto the coattails of the Malian midfielder whose performances must have added several million more to his price tag.
Among the opponents who Bissouma shone against were two of his potential summer suitors, Manchester City and Arsenal. White too will have caught the eye of bigger and better clubs, especially for the job he did in keeping Phil Foden eerily quiet when the Citizens came to the Amex.
That match with Pep Guardiola’s champions was easily the highlight of May as the Albion came from 2-0 down to shock City 3-2 and cause Guardiola to tear his hair out in a spectacular post-game meltdown.
Brighton pulled off an even bigger shock when beating 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United in their opening May fixture and there was a creditable draw with sixth placed West Ham United. Seven points from a possible 15 helped Graham Potter deliver a joint-highest ever Premier League points tally of 41.
It has been a strange old season but Bissouma’s consistent brilliance has shone throughout. Here is how he and the rest of the Brighton squad rated in May 2021.
1) Yves Bissouma (76.09 points)
Having topped the WAB Power Rankings as the best Brighton player in April 2021, Bissouma was even better in May – a fact reflected in the massive margin between himself and Ben White in second. Arsenal fans thought he was trying extra-hard to impress at the Emirates due to wanting a move to the Gunners this summer. That was not him impressing, he is just that good.
2) Ben White (70.71)
Gareth Southgate said that he felt moved to include White in his provisional England squad because of recent performances. The defender was outstanding in May, especially in the win over City. He pocketed Foden at one end and was only denied a first Albion goal at the other thanks to a couple of outstanding blocks from crunching volleys after he had charged forward to join the attack.
3) Dan Burn (69.87)
The Dan Burn Hate Club will be spitting feathers at the 6’7 defender rating so highly. His defensive work when The Leeds United bombarded the Albion box with crosses during a 20 minute period in the first half went a long way towards securing a clean sheet against the Peacocks. He then chose a pretty decent time to open his account in Albion colours, notching the winner against Man City.
4) Pascal Gross (67.85)
A confidently despatched penalty against Leeds helped banish the memory of Brighton missing two spot kicks in the space of an hour when losing 1-0 at West Brom in February. Added two assists to his ever-growing collection and was bestowed the honour of being Der Kapitan in the two games Lewis Dunk sat out through suspension, richly deserved after a brilliant season.
5) Robert Sanchez (67.82)
The Spanish goalkeeper must be thinking this Premier League lark is easy. So good were the Brighton defence in front of him during May 2021 that it is hard to recall him making one meaningful save from an opposition player; a lot of that of course comes down to the confidence and organisation he brings with displays like Leeds marking him out as one of the best in the top flight when it comes to commanding the area.
6) Adam Webster (66.75)
It took him a little while to get up and running after injury, but once Dunk was banned he really stepped up as the leader of the defence. Scored a towering header in the victory over Man City and he too cannot have been far away from joining White in the England squad.
7) Leandro Trossard (65.18)
Want some idea of how good Leandro Trossard was against Man City? He barely managed to score above a six in the Albion’s four other May matches and yet the hour he was on the pitch for against the Citizens has done enough to push him into seventh spot in the Power Rankings. If he became more consistent, he could be one of the best players in the Premier League.
8) Alireza Jahanbakhsh (64.65)
Prince Ali has had to wait patiently all season to get a run of starts. Did he make the most of them? Not really. There were some promising moments but he was often let down by his final ball, none more so than at Arsenal when he seemed to get caught in two minds between shooting or passing to the unmarked Trossard, as a result only succeeding in looping a pass harmlessly into the arms of Bernd Leno.
9) Danny Welbeck (58.77)
If the Albion are not offering him a new contract, then the decision makers at the Amex should be drugs tested. Two goals in May 2021 took him onto six in his debut season for Brighton to make him the club’s leading scorer from open play with one of those – THAT Leeds stunner – being one of the best finishes ever seen at the Amex from an Albion player.
10) Jakub Moder (43.26)
Started the month on the bench, receiving his first start of May in the 1-1 home draw with West Ham. Struggled to make much impression, but three days later he was superb against City. Followed that up by doing well when handed an opportunity in a more central role where his long-term future surely lies.
11) Adam Lallana (41.04)
For Brighton to beat The Leeds United and Man City was impressive enough – to do so with Adam Lallana not in the starting XI, even more so. The midfielder had to settle for three substitute appearances in May with his experience and class coming in particularly handy as the Albion overcame the Citizens.
12) Steve Alzate (40.47)
The Colombian will probably be frustrated that he has never got a real run of games under his belt this season. Started against West Ham and City, only to be hauled with an hour played on both occasions as Brighton introduced the more creative Lallana to chase the game. Bissouma’s departure might afford him more game time as the two of them playing together has proven to be a little too much of a defensive partnership.
13) Alexis Mac Allister (38.74)
A silky display in the win over City and some nice touches against Arsenal represented his two starts in May. Made a non-effective appearance from the bench in the 2-1 defeat at Wolves.
14) Lewis Dunk (38.45)
Suffered a rare lapse in judgement when getting himself sent off early in the second half against Wolves, leaving the Albion to face over 30 minutes with only 10 men. That meant he missed the famous win over City and hardly set the world alight at Arsenal. A disappointing way to end what has otherwise been another outstanding season.
15) Andi Zeqiri (27.07)
If White being called up by England for Euro 2020 (in 2021) was a surprise, then Andi Zeqiri being named in Switzerland’s squad was a seismic shock akin to waking up one day and finding your right arm has disappeared overnight. Two appearances from the bench in May at Wolves and against City.
16) Neal Maupay (16.28)
Oh, Neal! Decent in the win over The Leeds United but all his good work was undone with a ridiculous red card for launching a tirade of abuse at referee Jonathan Moss after the full time whistle at Molineux. Maupay was hit with a three game ban and fined £25,000 for his troubles, recording the lowest player rating for the season of 1.83 along the way.
17) Joel Veltman (15.38)
The Flying Dutchman made only one appearance in May, a typically solid outing in the victory against The Leeds United. Missed the final four matches with a “minor” injury which in typical Albion style turned out to be minor enough to rule him out for three weeks.
18) Percy Tau (13.33)
In the name of Percy Tau, amen! The lesser spotted Lion of Judah made his first Premier League appearance from the bench against West Ham. Played the best pass any player managed all game, a wonderful defence splitting through ball to set up Welbeck for the Brighton goal and was rewarded for that by not receiving another minute of action in the final two games of May 2021.
19) Aaron Connolly (7.82)
Given 45 minutes against Arsenal to impress. Made some promising runs and displayed some nice touches, although his afternoon at the Emirates will be better remembered for a display of diving that would make Tom Daley blush and putting a one-one-one chance out for a throw on the opposite touchline.
The WAB Power Rankings are formulated through our matchday player scores. To play your part, make sure to follow us on Twitter and leave your post game player ratings in the relevant thread.
