Kaoru Mitoma voted WAB November 2022 Brighton Player of the Month

December 8, 2022December 8, 2022 WeAreBrighton.com 0 Comments

Two goals in two games which resulted in two wins. Kaoru Mitoma truly arrived in the Premier League during November 2022 to win his second WAB Brighton Player of the Month award.

Hang on a minute, you may well cry. How can it be Mitoma’s second award when he has only been an Albion player since August? And only made his first start in the final game of October, when Glow Up Graham and Chelsea were humiliated 4-1 at the Amex?

The answer to that is because Mitoma has been marked out as a star long before he arrived at the Amex. When the Albion lost every match they played through March 2022 and scored just one goal, Mitoma was voted WAB Player of the Month for netting a brace past former Brighton goalkeeper Maty Ryan which ensured Japan qualified for the World Cup.

Mitoma just about managed to hold off the challenge of, er, Mike Dean nine months ago. Dean was a mere 1.93 percent behind Mitoma on account of somehow deciding that Robert Sanchez kicking Luis Diaz in the head was not a red card offence.

Allowing Sanchez to remain on the pitch ensured that Liverpool only won 2-0 at the Amex. If Dean had sent the Brighton number one for an early bath, then Lord knows how embarrassing the final score against Jurgen Klopp’s rampant Redmen would have become.

There was no such closeness in the vote in November 2022 with Kaoru Mitoma a landslide WAB Player of the Month winner, polling a massive 77.96 percent.

He kicked off November with one of the most impressive individual performances of the season as Brighton won 3-2 away at Wolves in an enthralling encounter.

Mitoma notched his first Premier League goal, was heavily involved in the two others scored by Adam Lallana and Pascal Gross, and ensured Wolves had to negotiate the entire second half with 10 men.

That was a result of Old Gold defender Nelson Semedo calculating the only way to stop Mitoma was via a tackle more suited to Twickenham than Molineux.

Mitoma followed that up by scoring the Albion’s second goal in the 3-1 Camila Cabello Cup win at Premier League leaders Arsenal just 13 minutes after coming off the bench.

The difference Mitoma has made since coming into Roberto De Zerbi’s starting XI was made clear in the November game he missed through illness.

Brighton looked toothless without his attacking threat when Aston Villa visited the Amex, the result being a disappointing 2-1 defeat.

Gross was voted into a distant second behind Mitoma in our November Player of the Month poll, picking up 13.55 percent.

The trip to Wolves saw him have a second excellent game at right back having impressed in that unusual role against Chelsea.

Der Kaiser scored the Albion’s late winner at Molineux, putting to thoroughly good use the freedom which De Zerbi offers his full backs by popping up in the Wolves box and producing a lovely finish on the stretch.

Like Mitoma, Gross was a pre-planned half time introduction against Arsenal. His presence as a holding midfielder helped the Albion to better keep possession, resulting in two second half goals to secure a place in the fourth round of the competition.

Lallana took 5.93 percent of the vote and with it third place. De Zerbi has given the veteran a run of games as a number 10 and Lallana has responded with some of his best matches in an Albion shirt.

He was central to everything good Brighton did when beating Wolves, including popping up with a rare goal. His departure after five minutes with injury in the defeat to Villa proved a significant blow as Brighton had started the game strongly with Lallana on the pitch, taking a very early lead.

Without Lallana – or Mitoma – things fell apart markedly, meaning the wait for a first home win over Villa since 1980 goes on.