The WAB Power Rankings: June 2020
The Premier League returned in June 2020 after a three month hiatus with Brighton & Hove Albion picking up four very welcome points from three tough fixtures. The WAB Power Rankings are also back as we use your post match ratings to decide who has been the best Brighton player throughout June.
Our complicated mathematical algorithm turns your ratings into a score out of 100, allowing us to rank every player who pulled on the stripes in June according to their performances.
Unsurprisingly, the 2-1 win over Arsenal provided the highest scores of the month and the crushing 3-0 defeat to Manchester United the lowest.
In fact, nobody in Graham Potter’s starting XI against the Red Devils scored over 50 points, only the second time that has happened this season after the 3-1 loss at Plucky Little Bournemouth back in January.
A sign perhaps that lockdown has raised Brighton fans expectation levels in terms of how players should be performing? Or an indication of just how poor the Albion were on the night?
Whatever the reason, it has led to some interesting results.
1) Yves Bissouma (67.66 points)
Yves Bissouma had been in and out of the Brighton team before the break in the season, but in the three games played since football returned he has established himself as one of the first names on the team sheet. Covered every blade of grass against Arsenal and tackled every single Leicester player at the King Power, with those two performances along enough to see him top the WAB Power Ranking for the first time as the best Brighton player in June 2020.
2) Neal Maupay (67.00)
Unsurprisingly, Le Petite French Shithouse was the best scoring Brighton player in the opening match of June against Arsenal. He played his part in an unfortunate injury to goalkeeper Bernd Leno, was throttled by Matteo Guendouzi and then used his post match interview to tell Arsenal’s players to learn some humility. Oh, and he got the 95th minute winner against the Gunners too. Less effective against Leicester where he missed a penalty but showed his value to the side versus Manchester United, a game in which Brighton did nothing as an attacking force before his introduction at half time.
3) Leandro Trossard (63.11)
Leandro Trossard is beginning to develop a reputation as a player who gives his best performances for Brighton when introduced from the bench and this third place in the June WAB Power Rankings will only add to that. He started only the Arsenal game, being used as a substitute against Leicester and United. That second half performance against Ole Gunnar Solksjaer’s side earned him a score of 58.33, the highest of the night despite the fact he was only on the pitch for 45 minutes.
4) Aaron Connolly (62.77)
The Irish striker’s fourth place is his highest ever in the WAB Power Rankings and reflects a good month. He set up Maupay’s winner from the bench against Arsenal, won the penalty at Leicester which Maupay unfortunately squandered and looked a threat in the second half against United, once Potter had abandoned the abysmal tactics of using him as the shortest lone striker in the history of English football.
5) Dan Burn (61.16)
Big Dan Burn had another solid month at left back in which he started all three of the Albion’s games. The game at Leicester looked like it would pose a particular challenge given the pace and trickery of the front players available to the Foxes, making the clean sheet he helped earn at the King Power Stadium particularly impressive. Had a more testing time against Mason Greenwood, but you suspect he won’t be the first full back to be torn apart by United’s latest homegrown star over the coming years.
6) Lewis Dunk (60.61)
Quite what Lewis Dunk is doing in sixth spot when he never normally drops from the top three we don’t know. We’ll put it down to the Albion captain having set such high standards for himself this season. Struggled against United in a way we have rarely seen in 2019-20 in his 300th Brighton appearance. Scored the most Dunk-esque goal in the home game with Arsenal, netting via a slide tackle.
7) Davy Propper (58.16)
Handsome Davy Propper had something of a mixed June in which he would veer from looking like the best individual on the park for Brigighton and a June Player of the Month contender to a lost dog in the centre of midfield. His highest score was the 72 he achieved against Leciester, second only to Tariq Lamptey and all the more remarkable given that he only came off the bench for the final 30 minutes. He followed that up with a 35 at home to United. Inconsistent is the word.
8) Maty Ryan (57.33)
The Socceroos number one was apportioned a lot of blame for two of Manchester United’s three goals at the Amex. The first from Grenwood he perhaps should have done better with. The second, however, from Bruno Fernandes took a huge deflection on its way through. That hasn’t stopped people from suggesting that he is developing a weakness at his near post, which has seemingly clouded his June ranking despite a solid performance against Arsenal and a clean sheet at the King Power Stadium.
9) Aaron Mooy (47.83)
Since turning his loan move from Huddersfield Town into a permanent transfer back in January, Aaron Mooy hasn’t looked anywhere near as effective as he did in the first half of the 2019-20 season. His June ranking has not been helped by missing the United game, presumably because Potter was saving him for the huge match away at bottom club Norwich City which kicks off July’s fixtures.
10) Adam Webster (46.50)
The defender didn’t put a foot wrong against Arsenal, producing one perfectly timed tackle in the box which was Bobby Moore-esque. Limped off early in the draw with Leicester, which was something of a shame as he might have been poised to enjoy a good month based on that showing when the Gunners came to the Amex.
11) Tariq Lamptey (44.77)
Not many players have enjoyed a Brighton debut as impressive as Tariq Lamptey’s at Leicester. He was brilliant defensively, comfortable on the ball and looked good going forward. It isn’t hard to see why he is considered one of the brightest young talents in English football – which made it all the more frustrating when Potter decided to reward him for that debut by playing him out-of-position on the right wing against United, where he lasted 45 minutes before being hauled.
12) Solly March (42.66)
No starts in June for Solly March as he had to settle for giving a couple of decent cameos against Arsenal and Leicester City. Seems to have lost his way a little since undergoing groin surgery at the end of December with Potter’s recent desire to play without natural width not helping his case either.
13) Alexis Mac Allister (37.77)
We finally got our first proper look at the highly rated £7 million import from Argentina when he made his first start away at Leicester. Begun that game brightly before fading a little, he followed that up by creating more chances against United than any other Brighton player. Signs of promise, but not the Heir to Messi who was going to turn things around instantly that some Albion fans seemed to be expecting.
14) Shane Duffy (37.11)
Webster’s injury gave Shane Duffy a chance to come into the starting lineup and he helped to secure the clean sheet against Leicester. Struggled a bit when United came to the Amex, although he wasn’t the only one to endure a testing evening against the in-form Red Devils.
15) Martin Montoya (35.83)
Came off the bench in the win over Arsenal with the Albion going from 1-0 down to 2-1 winners once he had replaced Ezequiel Schelotto. Made his only start in June against United, a game in which it seems to have gone under the radar quite how quiet he kept Marcus Rashford for the most part.
16) Ezequiel Schelotto (25.83)
Potter’s constant chopping and changing of his starting XI is one of the aspects of his management that has come in for criticism and nothing highlights it better than the fact he used three different starting right backs in June’s three games. Ezequiel Schelotto was the first to have the shirt for the Arsenal game before being replaced with 20 minutes remaining by Montoya. That was Schelotto’s only appearance in June.
17) Pascal Gross (22.5)
The German seems to have fallen right out of favour in June, which is a shame as on his day Pascal Gross is still the best player in terms of creating chances that Brighton have. Started against Arsenal when his set piece deliveries asked plenty of questions before being given just a handful of minutes at Leicester and none at all versus United.
To play your part in helping formulate the WAB Power Rankings for July, make sure to follow us on Twitter and leave your post game player ratings in the relevant thread.
