Brighton & Hove Albion 2023-24 Season Review: March
The tension which had been bubbling between Roberto De Zerbi and the Brighton board spilled into public during March as the Albion’s 2023-24 season hurtled off the rails.
Two damaging defeats in the space of five days with seven goals conceded and none scored kicked off the month. Brighton were first beaten 3-0 away at Fulham and then suffered a 4-0 hammering against Roma to all-but end any hopes of the 2023-24 Europa League adventure extending beyond March and into April.
De Zerbi felt the Albion were paying a price for not strengthening enough in the summer and January. Further injuries once the transfer window shut to the likes of Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma had left the squad even more stretched.
Whilst most Brighton supporters sympathised with De Zerbi, some felt the patchy form was equally due to him downing tools.
But if his head had been turned by apparent interest from Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern Munich, heavily losing games of football was an interesting way for De Zerbi to put himself in the frame for those jobs.
All in all, March was a pretty depressing month to be a Brighton fan after the highs of the 2022-23 campaign and the first half of 2023-24. Remarkably, even worse was to come in April.
Brighton cave at Craven Cottage
To say De Zerbi was a dejected figure after Brighton were beaten 3-0 at Craven Cottage would be a slight understatement. He sat in the dugout at one point, head in hands.
Speaking afterwards, De Zerbi said: “I think for us it is a very tough moment but I’m not speaking (only) now about it. I am starting to explain the future in September, in October, in November, in January – especially in January.”
“Now we can’t change anything. We have to move on to play better, to fight better, to play with different energy.”
“To find the right motivation in the last three months of the season. We play a crucial part of the season with a lot of problems.”
“For Julio Enciso it was the first game after six months-and-a-half. JP van Hecke in a midfield position because Moder played 60, 70 minutes in Wolverhampton.”
“Pascal Gross finished the game (at Wolves) with cramp and he couldn’t start the game and play 90 minutes (today).”
“Adingra played the African Cup and after that he played 90 minutes three games in a row. We can’t lose any more players.”
De Zerbi’s starting XI screamed of a man proving the point that Brighton did not have enough squad depth. Six defenders were in the side, including Van Hecke stepping into the midfield area where De Zerbi had been so vocally insistent the Albion had to strengthen.
Nothing says “I told you we needed more midfielders” than a centre back out-of-position – even if they are as talented a footballer as Van Hecke.
And despite over half the starting XI being made up of defenders, Fulham scored three times without ever needing to get out of second gear.
Adam Webster gifted the Cottagers their opening goal when his attempted header sideways to Pervis Estupinan was intercepted by Rodrigo Muniz. Seconds later and Harry Wilson bent an effort beyond Jason Steele.
11 minutes later and Wilson turned provider for Muniz, who got across Lewis Dunk a little too easily to head in Fulham’s second.
A miserable afternoon was completed when Fulham added their third on the counter in stoppage time. Bobby De Cordova-Reid dispossessed Gross, went galloping clear and passed right for Adama Traore to apply the finish.
One night in Rome
Defeat against Fulham would have been quickly forgotten if Brighton had secured a positive Europa League result four days later against Roma.
Instead, the Seagulls’ one night in Rome turned into one of the darkest 24 hours of the campaign. Two Albion supporters getting stabbed the evening before set the tone for what was to come.
Both remarkably made it to the Stadio Olimpico having spent up to six hours being stitched up, receiving a hero’s welcome from the rest of the travelling Brighton fans.
By full time, they probably wished they’d stayed in hospital. Roma cruised to a 4-0 victory, taking advantage of a suicidal high line played by the Albion defence whilst their ultras launched lighters, bottles and coins into the away section.
Dunk in particular struggled. The Brighton captain failed to cut out a Leandro Paredes pass in the build up to the first Roma goal.
Paulo Dybala timed his run to perfection, galloped into 30 yards of space and rounded Jason Steele before firing into an empty net.
Dunk then should have twatted the ball into Row Z with half time minutes away rather than trying to get it under control. Romalu Lukaku subsequently dispossessed Dunk and ran clear to score.
Two second half goals in quick succession killed the game and the tie. Both came from crossed into the box. Gianluca Mancini diverted past Steele for the first and Bryan Cristante was left unmarked to produce a flying header for the second.
Afterwards came another bombshell interview from De Zerbi in which he said: “Today we paid for our mistakes, from the owners to the coaches and the players.”
Neither Tony Bloom nor Paul Barber take well to criticism. And here was their head coach, criticising the board and shattering the carefully-crafted and fiercely protected image of the perfect football club.
With those comments in the bowels of the Olympic Stadium, De Zerbi had sealed his fate.
Onw goal sees Brighton fell Tricky Trees
With heavy gloom now hanging over Brighton, the Albion needed a win in their third game of March against Nottingham Forest to prevent the season entering a full blown crisis.
A dull single-goal victory ground out by sheer determination rather than entertaining football would suffice. And that is what Brighton delivered.
Forest defender Andrew Omobamidele provided the only goal of the game, heading a Gross free kick past his own goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Judging by the lack of celebration on the pitch and in the stands, virtually everyone was expecting the goal to be ruled out for a foul on Sels.
Forest were livid when Mr Salisbury subsequently pointed to the halfway line to indicate the goal would stand. Their mood did not improve when Jakub Moder escaped a red card for a studs up challenge on Neco Williams with 67 minutes.
Having been on their fair share of bad refereeing decisions through the 2023-24 season, it was nice to see Brighton as the beneficiaries in March.
A little pride restored against Roma
A week after Brighton were conquered by the Romans, a little pride was restored in the return leg at the Amex. The Albion battled their way to a 1-0 win, ensuring they ended their Europa League campaign with at least one victory over each of the sides they were paired against.
Danny Welbeck scored via a wonderful curling effort eight minutes before the break to give a feint glimmer of hope that a famous comeback might be on the cards.
The Albion exerted plenty of second half pressure on the Roma goal without every finding a way through. As the clock ticked by and it became obvious the 4-0 defeat in Rome was indeed insurmountable, the Amex sung the names of De Zerbi and the players who had taken the club into Europe for the first time.
It was a fitting way to end the Europa League adventure. And with Brighton only five points behind sixth placed Manchester United heading, a strong finish to the 2023-24 season from March onwards could yet have seen the Albion qualify for Europe again.
Welbeck stuns Anfield but its not enough to beat Liverpool
Anfield was never likely to be the venue where Brighton kicked off that required strong finish. The Redmen were still in title contention, looking to give Jurgen Klopp the perfect send off after nine years in charge.
The Albion did though cause plenty of problems for their hosts in a much more positive performance, easily their best through March. A cynic might have even suggested it was De Zerbi auditioning to be Klopp’s replacement.
Welbeck stunned Anfield by putting Brighton ahead after only 85 seconds. Adingra broke forward and when his pass into the box rebounded off the leg of Moder, it fell kindly to Dat Guy who struck into the top corner.
Luis Diaz equalised on 28 minutes despite there being a strong argument he should have already been sent off. Diaz was a one-man crime spree through the opening exchanges, committing five first half fouls yet not picking up a yellow card.
The familiar face of Alexis Mac Allister set up Mo Salah for what proved to be the winner midway through the second half.
Mac Allister’s perfectly weighted pass through a gap between Dunk and Gross picked out the clever run of Egypt’s second best footballer after Adam El-Abd. Salah duly beat Verbruggen one-on-one to ensure the three points went to Liverpool.
March 2024 record: P5 W2 D0 L3 F3 A9
Results: 0-3 v Fulham (A), 0-4 v Roma (A), 1-0 v Forest (H), 1-0 v Roma (H), 1-2 v Liverpool (A)
League position at the end of the month: 9th
WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month: Jan Paul van Hecke
