The numbers behind Brighton in the 2021-22 FPL season
Brighton enjoyed a record-breaking 2021-22 Premier League season and that translated into FPL, where Albion assets proved to be great options for Fantasy Premier League managers throughout the year.
A ninth placed finish was the Seagulls’ best ever in English football. They ended just five points shy of qualifying for Europe for the first time and enjoyed memorable wins over Manchester United, Spurs and Arsenal.
Graham Potter also masterminded draws against Chelsea and Liverpool, ending the season with a better record against the top four than Jurgen Klopp managed.
It could have been even better for Brighton, too. Had they not gone three months without a win between September and December or lost six games in a row over February and March, then an even higher placing would have been achieved.
With some fairly obvious room for improvement, Seagulls fans have every right to be excited about what 2022-23 might hold if they can keep their best players at the Amex this summer.
Much of the success Brighton have enjoyed in 2021-22 has stemmed from their defence, which is where we begin our FPL round up.
The Albion kept 11 clean sheets throughout the campaign, a total only bettered by six teams. Overall, Brighton had the sixth best defensive record in the Premier League.
Benefitting the most from all those clean sheets in FPL were Marc Cucurella (£4.9 million) and Robert Sanchez (£4.5 million), who both enjoyed excellent campaigns.
Sanchez caught more saves than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League. He made more recoveries than more expensive stoppers like Manchester City’s Ederson (£6.2 million) and Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsdale (£5.1 million), finishing level with Liverpool’s Alisson (£6.1 million).
Cucurella meanwhile proved a revelation at both ends of the pitch. He ranked sixth for chances created amongst defenders this season with 42.
Each of the five players above him in that metric were more expensive than Cucurella, meaning that FPL managers would be wise to keep an eye on him going into next season as a cost-effective option with the potential for good returns.
Elsewhere, Leandro Torssard (£5.9 million) was number one across the Brighton team for goal attempts, totalling 74.
Only Danny Welbeck (£6.0 million) had more big chances than Trossard. Given that Dat Guy played far fewer games than the Belgian international, that is some going from Welbeck.
Trossard was listed as a midfielder in 2021-22 FPL, even though Brighton played him as a striker for much of the season.
Just like Cucurella’s price point, the position Trossard is categorised as for 2022-23 will have a bearing on his popularity.
Finally, we come to Pascal Gross (£5.6 million) who continues to offer good potential for FPL managers. Gross has consistently returned points across the season, with his output going up a notch in the final month.
Two goals and one assist were enough to see him voted as WAB Brighton Player of the Month for May. There remains the possibility that Gross will not be in the Premier League next season as he is still yet to sign a new contract with his current deal expiring in June.
Potter has suggested that only the formalities need sorting. That is good news for FPL managers whose strategies involve set piece rich assets.
Gross’ threat from dead balls saw him take 100 corners and 22 free kicks in 2021-22. Only James Ward-Prowse (£6.4 million) of Southampton and Spurs’ Son Heung-Min (£11.0 million) ended up taking more corners.
Thank you to Fantasy Football Scout for all their expert advice throughout the 2021-22 Fantasy Premier League season. They will be back in 2022-23 with more Seagulls-based help for your FPL team.
