Pascal Gross voted WAB May 2022 Brighton Player of the Month

May 30, 2022May 30, 2022 WeAreBrighton.com 0 Comments

If this was to be Auf Wiedersehen, then what a way to say it. Pascal Gross signed off for the season – and perhaps his Brighton career – in outstanding form to be voted a thoroughly convincing winning of our WAB Player of the Month award for May 2022.

The German is out of contract at the end of June. He had been strongly linked with a return to Germany with Werder Bremen before Graham Potter made a nonsense of those rumours, saying that a new deal to keep Gross at the Amex was “relatively done” and just needed signing.

Clearly, Brighton fans want that to be the case. “Pascal Gross, we want you to stay” was the chant as the players completed their lap of honour following the final game of the season against West Ham, in which Gross scored one and assisted another of the three goals the Albion racked up.

His strike against the Hammers was a rare example of a Brighton player shooting unexpectedly from outside the box.

There seemed little on when Gross received the ball until he wiggled into an inch of space and then fired a shot into the top corner on the turn.

It was a brilliant, instinctive finish in complete contrast to the goal he had scored in the previous home game, when Manchester United were hammered 4-0 at the Amex in one of the greatest days in Albion history.

On that occasion, Gross effortlessly glided past a couple of United defenders before picking out a corner of David De Gea’s goal and clinically despatching the ball towards it.

To score a finish of such quality and it not even be the highlight of Gross’ evening tells you everything about how good he was against the Red Devils.

His best moment came shortly after his goal, a double Gross turn followed by a back heel out on the left flank which left Fred utterly bamboozled and set Marc Cucurella away down the flank.

It was beautiful to watch, a moment more akin to a piece of art than a bit of football skill. Hang it in the Louvre.

Unsurprisingly, the form Gross has displayed in winning our Brighton May 2022 Player of the Month award has silenced the pAsCaL gRoSS iS a sEt pIEcE mErcHaNT crowd.

And as if being able to take a pinpoint corner or free kick is a bad thing anyway? His one assist of May of course came from a corner, perfectly flighted onto the head of Danny Welbeck to round off the rout of West Ham.

The winner of our WAB April 2022 Player of the Month award had to settle for second place in the May poll. Moises Caicedo has enjoyed a stunning start to life as a Premier League footballer, leaving Brighton fans with so much to be excited about for the future.

He opened the scoring in the mauling of United with his first Brighton goal, driving a low effort through a crowd of players from the edge of the penalty area.

Caicedo was less dominant as the Albion drew 1-1 with 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United, picking up a booking which saw Potter sensibly substitute his young midfielder to prevent yellow turning into red.

He bounced back from that with a superb performance against West Ham. Declan Rice had spent the first half being the best player on the pitch whilst Yves Bissouma had the job of trying to keep him quiet.

Bissouma was withdrawn at half time, leaving Caicedo to track Rice. That the England international was far less effective after the break was largely down to the job Caicedo did, helping to turn the tide in the Albion’s favour.

Third place behind Gross and Caicedo in the WAB Brighton May 2022 Player of the Month vote was deservedly taken by Joel Veltman.

The Dutch defender has once again been Brighton’s Mr Dependable across the entire 2021-22 season and he kicked that up a notch in May with some of his best displays of the campaign.

He helped frustrate Cristiano Ronaldo at the Amex and followed up a fortnight later with a timely first and only goal of the season, the equaliser against West Ham to set the comeback ball rolling.

Not only did Veltman enjoy a good May on the pitch, but he also saved a seagull who had become stuck in the chimney of his Hove home.

Vetlman shared live footage of the rescue mission, carried out with no specialist equipment other than a pair of oven gloves. What a man.