Vote for your WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month for June 2020
Thanks to the three month interruption in the Premier League season, 2020 is going to see one lucky Brighton & Hove Albion player crowned the first ever WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month for June.
It was a good return to action for the Albion as they picked up four points from three very tough looking fixtures which could go a long way towards top flight survival.
Arsenal were beaten 2-1 at the Amex thanks to a 95th minute winner from Neal Maupay. The French striker enjoyed a quite extraordinary game against the Gunners as 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.
Maupay had a less successful evening three days later away at Leicester City, where his weak penalty kick was kept out by Kasper Schmeichel as Brighton drew 0-0 with the Foxes.
The headline maker at the King Power Stadium was teenage right back Tariq Lamptey, who enjoyed a sensational debut for the Albion against the formidable attacking forces of Jamie Vardy, James Maddison and Harvey Barnes.
Graham Potter decided the best way to react to Lamptey’s man-of-the-match performance at right back would be by playing him out of position on the right wing against Manchester United in Brighton’s final game of the month, a 3-0 defeat against the in-form Red Devils.
With Hobbit-sized striker Aaron Connolly expected to do something with long balls smashed out of defence towards the giant United centre back partnership of Harry Maguire and Victor Lindelöf, it was little surprise that Brighton were comfortably beaten by the Red Devils thanks to a combination of Potter’s bizarre tactics and an underwhelming first half display.
Still, the United game should not detract from what was otherwise an excellent month. Six points is now the gap between Brighton and the relegation zone and with none of the bottom five able to string any kind of results together since the restart, the Albion must nearly be home and dry.
Which leaves us to ask who is getting your vote for the June 2020 WeAreBrighton.com Player of the Month?
Yves Bissouma
It had been a tough season for the Mali international pre-lockdown as he struggled to hold down a first team spot. Since the Premier League returned, he has started every match with a new-found discipline and maturity to his game. Covered every blade of grass against Arsenal and somehow got away with making nine fouls to boot.
Dan Burn
Brighton’s full backs were expected to be in for a testing evening at Leicester, but both he and Lamptey coped brilliantly with the threat that the Foxes offered. Played his part in a memorable defensive display against Arsenal too.
Aaron Connolly
His performances in June don’t seem to have garnered the credit they deserve. He came off the bench against Arsenal to set up Maupay’s injury time winner and then earned the penalty at Leicester which could have given Brighton all three points. Was asked to fulfil a frankly ridiculous role in the first half against United and almost had a goal in the second, drawing a smart save from David De Gea.
Lewis Dunk
Started the ball rolling on the comeback against Arsenal by scoring the most Lewis Dunk goal ever via a tackle. He was superb in that game and away at Leicester City too while the Manchester United match saw him become the latest player to have made 300 appearances Brighton – not a bad June 2020 all things considered.
Tariq Lamptey
The teenage right back was thrown in at the deep end somewhat against a dangerous Leicester attack, but he underlined his potential with a mature display that quite rightly won man-of-the-match. He was excellent defensively, good on the ball and looked a threat going forward. Ezequiel Schelotto won our last Player of the Month award back in February, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lamptey follow in his fellow right back’s footsteps.
Neal Maupay
Grabbed all the headlines for his display of shithousery and that last minute winner against Arsenal, whose supporters have subsequently decided that they hate him. The United game highlighted the difference that he makes to this Brighton side; with Maupay on the bench, the Albion did nothing as an attacking force in the first half. In the second, they hard De Gea worried on more than a few occasions.
Poll closes at 8pm on Sunday 5th July
