WAB Brighton Power Rankings February 2023
After the highs of December and January, February 2023 felt a little flat. Brighton just about saw off Plucky Little Bournemouth at the Amex with two minutes remaining, were then forced to settle for a draw at Crystal Palace thanks to a scandalous VAR decision and were the victims of a daylight robbery at the hands of Fulham.
There was at least safe progress in the FA Cup via a result which deserved far more credit than it was given. Albion teams of the past have never been able to do it in Stoke no matter the temperature or the day of the week.
To come away from the Bet365 Stadium with a gritty 1-0 victory avoiding a potential banana skin was a big result for Brighton.
The star in the Potteries that evening was Moises Caicedo, making a mockery of all those Arsenal supporters who said the midfielder was being held against his will and would down tools and rock the boat as a result.
Instead, Caciedo was excellent through February to top the WAB Power Rankings. Here are how he and the other 19 players who pulled on the stripes scored for their performances.
1) Moises Caicedo – 72.22
January ended with Caicedo on gardening leave and a statement from his agent begging to leave Brighton still on his Instagram page. February ends with him top of the WAB Power Rankings having delivered some of his best performances of the season. The ultimate professional who has since signed a new contract and =said he wants to reach the Champions League with the Albion.
2) Lewis Dunk – 71.33
If Robert Sanchez does not drop his clanger at Palace and Brighton avoid getting caught on the counter by Fulham, Lewis Dunk leads his defence to four clean sheets out of four in February. A really good month for the Brighton captain rounded off with a milestone 400th appearance for the club.
3) Kaoru Mitoma – 67.56
One goal and one assist from four matches. Third place in the Power Rankings. And yet the high standards he has set since returning from the World Cup made this feel like a quiet month for the Japanese Bullet Train.
4) Pascal Gross – 67.33
Der Kaiser fulfilled a multitude of roles through February. He had assisted the assist for Mitoma’s late winner against Bournemouth and would have added some actual assists to his already impressive total if Brighton could do radical things like score free headers from pinpoint corners.
5) Joel Veltman – 66.44
Began the month at centre back and finished it at right back. His performance in the Bournemouth game was a masterclass in how to defend when on an early yellow card, including one sensationally timed last man tackle in the box during the first half. Had he got that wrong, the Cherries would have had a penalty and Brighton faced playing for an hour with 10 men.
6) Tariq Lamptey – 63.33
Having started just one Premier League game all season by the middle of January, there was a fair amount of talk about Lamptey leaving the club. Defensive injuries offered him the opportunity to get more minutes under his belt and he has done reasonably well in an attacking sense from right back.
7) Pervis Estupinan – 62.89
Estupinan won one of the tightest WAB February 2023 Player of the Month contests we have seen in some time for a string of superb displays showcasing his defensive abilities and the threat he poses going forward. Denied a perfectly good goal by VAR drawing the offside lines from the wrong defender at Palace but bounced back to deliver the perfect gross converted by Solly March.
8) Solly March – 56.89
March and Estupinan have to settle for seventh and eighth in the Power Rankings on account of missing the Stoke game through injury. March continued his good scoring form with another goal at Palace. That would have been particularly enjoyable given the Eagles released him as a kid.
9) Deniz Undav – 56.89
His lack of goals is a concern in light of the chances he has had. The three misses in 10 seconds against Bournemouth was an extraordinary sequence and he also lobbed wide from distance when presented with an open goal at Stoke. But his link up play and work off the ball was impressive.
10) Evan Ferguson – 49.11
Missed Bournemouth with injury and was only fit enough to come off the bench at Selhurst. It would be easy to say he could not miss the chance Mitoma created for him at Stoke, but we have seen plenty of Brighton players squander even easier opportunities than his tap in over the past three years.
11) Facundo Buanonotte – 46.00
Most assumed it would be some time before we saw Janauary’s teenage arrival from South America, like how Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister were slowly introduced. Roberto De Zerbi, however, had no qualms in chucking Buanonotte straight in at the deep end. Three exciting cameos from the bench were followed by a first start at Stoke, where he probably should have scored with a back post header in the first half.
12) Alexis Mac Allister – 45.56
Suspended for the Bournemouth game, Mac Allister then scored low against Palace for missing four chances which on another day would have left him a hat-trick hero at Selhurst. He has earned the right for a dip in form for his efforts this season and in putting Brighton on the map at the World Cup.
13) Robert Sanchez – 43.33
A dreadful mistake at Palace cost Brighton victory over their biggest rivals. Had little to do a week later against Fulham even as Brighton lost. His form has been patchy this season, but there is no way De Zerbi will replace him with Jason Steele… is there?!
14) Adam Webster – 36.89
Webster always takes a while to get going again after injury and unlike Graham Potter who would just throw him straight back in and let him make mistakes left, right and centre, De Zerbi has carefully managed the situation by drip feeding him minutes. That has proven an excellent decision, particularly at Palace where two vital blocks prevented Palace scoring in the first half.
15) Jeremy Sarmiento – 34.33
Played the ball into the Bournemouth box which Mitoma so clinically finished. We seem to say this every month, but he needs to find some consistency. Went from that high point at the start of February to not making the most of a rare starting opportunity at Stoke.
16) Julio Enciso – 28.89
Was overtaken in February by Buonanotte in the pecking order of teenage South American coming on with 25 minutes to play. You can see the talent is there and once he improves his decision making, he is going to be some player.
17) Danny Welbeck – 28.67
Endured another injury hit month. Returned to action from the bench against Stoke and almost scored twice, denied by a decent save and then the post.
18) Billy Gilmour – 18.89
With Mac Allister suspended and Caciedo on the bench, he came into the starting XI for the Bournemouth game. Although he gave a neat and tidy performance, his lack of minutes since suggests he is yet to convince De Zerbi of his ability.
19) Jason Steele – 15.11
Another clean sheet without putting a foot wrong for the Albion’s cup specialist goalkeeper. Even so, there is no way De Zerbi will play him over Sanchez in the Premier League… is there?!
20) Jan Paul van Hecke – 14.67
Playing against Championship opposition Stoke, you could see why he was so highly rated at Blackburn Rovers last season. Possibly needs to find a little more to challenge more convincingly for a Premier League starting spot at this stage.
The WAB Power Rankings are formulated through our matchday player scores. To play your part, make sure to follow us on Twitter and leave your post game player ratings in the relevant thread.
