Vote for your WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month for July 2020
It has taken nearly a whole calendar year, but the 2019-20 Premier League season is finally at an end. Eight points from the final six games in July 2020 was enough for Brighton to secure a 15th place finish and a record points haul, with the only question being who was the Albion’s best player?
Given how tough the Seagulls’ run-in was, there are plenty of candidates. The month kicked off with what appeared to be the easiest fixture of July, a must-win game away at bottom club Norwich City.
Leandro Trossard was the player who scored the only goal at Carrow Road to pretty much guarantee survival, although it would take four further July games for Brighton to mathematically confirm that they would be playing Premier League football in the 2020-21 season.
Champions Liverpool came to the Amex next and the Albion gifted Jurgen Klopp’s side two goals inside the opening seven minutes. To be fair to Brighton, they recovered well after that and gave their illustrious opponents a game in the second half.
Trossard again found the back of the net with one of the contenders for Goal of the Season in our WeAreBrighton.com 2019-20 Season Awards.
If the Reds’ 3-1 victory was a little harsh on the Albion, then Graham Potter’s men could consider themselves lucky to have only lost 5-0 to Manchester City three days later.
Brighton were woeful defensively and City could have racked up eight or nine were it not for the woodwork. Even Potter was critical of his players in his post-match interview, an occurrence rarer than purchasing a decent baguette at Upper Crust for less than £20.
The response to that hammering at the hands of City was a good one as the Albion went and drew 1-1 at Southampton. Neal Maupay scored the Albion goal, Maty Ryan silenced the doubters with one of the best saves any Brighton goalkeeper has ever made, Adam Webster played like a modern-day Bobby Moore and even Glenn Murray got a start and an assist.
A point against Newcastle in the Albion’s final home game of the season would guarantee survival. Both teams looked like they were already on the beach, the result being the most boring 90 minutes of football you will ever see – so much so that the fact we had secured their Premier League status was almost forgotten at the final whistle.
With the carrot of a highest ever points haul dangling in front of them going into the last fixture of July 2020, Brighton did at least appear interested away at Burnley with every player looking magnificent in the new blue home kit.
Yves Bissouma in particular enjoyed himself, scoring with a stunning side footed shot from 25 yards. Aaron Connolly added a second after the break as the Albion signed off with a 2-1 victory at the end of a season which they can ultimately be very pleased with.
Potter has managed to keep the club in the top flight at the same time as overhauling the playing style and personnel. Nothing highlights the rate of change better than the fact that only one player on our shortlist for the WeAreBrighton.com July 2020 Player of the Month Award started the opening game of 2019-20 at Watford – Lewis Dunk.
Four of the other five are new signings while Bissouma only became a first team regular post-lockdown. Dunk is also the only played aged over 25, which points to an exciting future for the Albion going forward.
Yves Bissouma
June’s Player of the Month winner continued his excellent end-of-season form in July and is now one of the first name on the team sheet. Potter said that the Malian midfielder needed to add goals to his game and he duly responded, scoring his first in the Premier League in his 50th appearance with a stunner away at Burnley.
Lewis Dunk
There was a rare slip which helped Chris Wood net Burnley’s goal in the final game of the campaign at Turf Moor, but other than that it was another excellent month for the Albion captain. His highlight was an outrageous goal line block against Southampton which few other defenders in England could have produced.
Tariq Lamptey
Coming into July, the young right back had only started two professional games in his life. It says much about how good he has been that he has already established himself as first choice right back and is being touted for future international honours with England. He has a big future ahead of him.
Neal Maupay
Notched his 10th goal of the season in the draw at Southampton with a clever finish from a Murray flick on. Proved to be a real handful for visiting defenders throughout July in what has been an incredibly promising debut season in the top flight.
Leandro Trossard
Enjoyed a blistering end to 2019-20, scoring twice in as many matches to overhaul Own Goals and finish as the Albion’s second highest scorer. Liverpool have been excellent defensively this season but even the likes of Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold struggled to contain the Belgian when faced with him at the Amex.
Adam Webster
The £18 million summer signing from Bristol City has come in for his fair share of criticism in his first season at the Amex. Nobody could have any complaints about his form in July though as he combined his undoubted talents on the ball with some outstanding defending, especially at St Mary’s where he was quite rightly named man-of-the-match.
Poll closes at 8pm on Sunday 2nd August
