Moises Caicedo voted WAB April 2022 Brighton Player of the Month

May 10, 2022May 10, 2022 WeAreBrighton.com 0 Comments

Before April 2022 began with Moises Caicedo not in the Brighton team, the Albion had lost six and drawn one of their previous seven matches whilst scoring just once.

Caicedo made his Premier League debut away at Arsenal in the opening game of the month. Brighton won 2-1. He made his second Premier League start away at Spurs. Brighton won 1-0.

A midweek defeat at Manchester City followed in Caicedo’s third game. His fourth match saw the Albion score at the Amex for the first time in 96 days, drawing 2-2 with Southampton.

Caicedo’s fifth Brighton appearance and the final April fixture resulted in the best performance of the season. Brighton hammered a Wolves side who came into the game with the fourth-best defensive record in the Premier League 3-0 at Molineux.

From seven without a win and a campaign in danger of petering out into nothingness to 10 points from a possible 15 and a top 10 finish back on the cards.

The difference Caicedo has made is astonishing and that is why he is a worthy winner of our WAB Brighton Player of the Month for April 2022.

Watch him tee up Enock Mwepu with a perfect low cross swept to the edge of the box at Arsenal or arrive in the right place at the right time to block a Kevin De Bruyne effort and it is easy to forget Caicedo is only 20-years-old.

Defensively, he has played with a maturity beyond his years. Going forward, his array of one-touch flicks and clever passes into space are a world away from the sideways football that had characterised the Albion’s slump through February and March.

In short, Caicedo has been an absolute joy to watch. And we better make the most of him because if he carries on like this, it will not be long until one of the biggest clubs in the world comes sniffing with the sort of offer that Tony Bloom will struggle to turn down.

Another player who is sure to attract attention – perhaps as early as this summer with Chelsea and Spurs said to be interested – is Marc Cucurella.

He was four percent behind Caicedo in the vote, April being his best set of performances since Graham Potter started using him as part of the back three following the sale of Dan Burn.

It has taken Cucurella a little while to adapt fully to his new role, which initially clipped his attacking instincts. In April, he managed to combine the defensive requirements of playing centre back with his swashbuckling tendency to charge forward.

Cucurella ended up playing a major role in Danny Welbeck’s opener against Southampton as his cross into the Saints box caused chaos and confusion.

He then repeated the trick at Molineux with a low cross only half cleared by Wolves, presenting Yves Bissouma with the opportunity to crack one in from 25 yards.

Third place went to Leandro Trossard, who registered three goals in five April appearances after Potter decided to copy Robert Martinez and use the Vampire of Genk in the same wide position he occupies for Belgium.

Trossard scored the opener at Arsenal with a ferocious strike from distance when cutting in from his flank. He followed that up with the last minute winner at Spurs, weaving into the box past Eric Dier before despatching a clinical effort beyond Hugo Lloris.

His third April goal came with a similarly ruthless finish at Wolves. Six days earlier and Trossard had played a major part in the Southampton own goal at the Amex, his clever angled pass into the box from out on the left being diverted beyond Fraser Forster by Mohammed Salisu.

Any of Caicedo, Cucurella or Trossard would have been worthy winners of our April Player of the Month poll. It was all a far cry from the March 2022 Player of the Month Award, when Brighton were so poor that Kaoru Mitoma – a bloke without a British Work Permit – was voted into first place and Mike Dean finished second.