7 things we learned from Brighton 0-0 Union SG

When the Albion announced a pre-season schedule featuring a lot of behind closed doors games, there was quite the furore. If Brighton 0-0 Union SG was anything to go by, maybe we should actually be thanking the club from preventing supporters from attending?

The hottest day of the year so far was designed for BBQs, beer gardens or the beach. What a travesty it would have been if we had all paid £15 to watch a 0-0 draw on a glorious Saturday evening in a game utterly devoid of action.

The “highlights” on the Albion website amount to two minutes of footage – and about one minute thirty seconds of that is slow-motion replays.

Watching is a reminder that pre-season friendlies are always, without fail, totally dull affairs. Especially the first game when players are feeling their way back after eight weeks off.

See also Rangers 0-0 Brighton from a year ago. The only difference being that we did not have to pay £7.49 for the privilege of watching a live stream on this occasion.

So, what could we actually take away from Brighton 0-0 Union SG? Other than that it was very hot, the players were very rusty and that this was nothing more than a glorified training match?

Passing judgement is difficult. But we have had a go at it anyway. Here are 7 things we learned from the Tony Bloom Derby.

Brighton have a massive squad
Graham Potter used two different XIs per half. And despite none of those who had gone on international duty at the end of the 2021-22 season featuring, he needed to name just two players you would class as being development squad – Jensen Weir and Odel Offiah.

You almost forget just how many players Brighton have on their books. Matt Clarke, Michal Karbownik, Kjell Scherpen, Jan Paul van Hecke, Kacper Kozlowski and Andi Zeqiri all played having spent last year out on loan.

Aside from possibly van Hecke and Scherpen, most of those will surely head elsewhere for first team football again. Incoming signings might be few between now and the closing of the transfer window, but there is certain to be a lot of movement when it comes to outgoings.

Keep an eye on Simon Adingra at Union this season
One Brighton youngster who has already departed on loan is forward Simon Adringa. The ink was barely dry on his Brighton contract signed following a £6 million move from Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjaelland and Adringa was sent to Union for work permit reasons.

Adringa looked an industrious presence playing in an advanced role for his new club. He was involved in the best chance the Brussels-based side had in Brighton 0-0 Union, teeing up Dante Vanzeir through sheer persistence when on a charge through the Albion defence. Vanzier saw his effort deflected over the crossbar of Jason Steele’s goal by Clarke.

Marc Cucurella is still a Brighton player
Even though he has agreed personal terms with Manchester City on approximately 77 different occasions over the past month, Marc Cucurella was wearing the hyper-turq of the Albion as pre-season kicked off.

Rumours are now abounding that Brighton are going to offer Cucurella a new contract. If City do come in with a £60 million bid for him, then any new deal is unlikely to have much bearing on Cucurella staying or going.

What it would do though is improve the Albion’s negotiating hand, allowing them to demand an even bigger fee. We saw that with Ben White, who penned a new Brighton contract in the summer of 2020 with 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United sniffing.

A year into that deal and Bloom was able to extract £50 million from Arsenal for White. Cucurella agreeing a new contract would have a similar impact.

Julio Enciso was the best player on the pitch
This was the first time that Julio Enciso had been seen in a Brighton shirt and it was hugely encouraging. As everyone knows, we try not to get too carried away here at WAB – but the Ballon d’Or in a few years time will be a straight up race between Enciso and Moises Caicedo.

Enciso tested Union goalkeeper Anthony Moris with an early free kick. Sights of goal other than that were scarce, but he looked a lively presence who wanted to do strange and alien things like run with the ball.

What was most notable is that Union struggled to dispossess him. Enciso is only 18 and he looks like he could do with a few good steak meals to put some beef on his wiry frame.

Yet he showed deceptive strength to avoid being knocked off the ball. The standard and physicality of the Premier League is obviously a big step up from facing Jupiler League opponents, but this was a promising run out for those wondering how Enciso will deal with the rough and tumble of English football.

Neal Maupay needs to calm down
Oh, Neal! The edge in Maupay’s game is one of things that makes him the player he is. At times though, it can boil over and we saw that in Brighton 0-0 Union SG.

A terrible challenge on Maupay prompted the Frenchman to stamp on his assailant. Referee Keith Stroud seemed totally oblivious to the entire passage, missing Maupay’s reaction and not dealing with the initial horror tackle either.

Along with Maupay being visibly unhappy, the normally placid Pascal Gross had words with Mr Stroud. Maupay compounded matters by getting himself booked for a bad challenge of his own.

Don’t expect Deniz Undav to be the answer to the Albion’s goal scoring problems
One player who struggled to make an impact was Deniz Undav. Whilst it would be ridiculous to write him off after only 45 minutes in a pre-season friendly, it is reminder that realistic expectations are needed when a regular goal scorer comes from a weaker European division to the Premier League.

We have seen that with Alireza Jahanbakhsh and to a lesser degree, Jurgen Locadia. Percy Tau never even received the opportunity to prove if he were good enough for English football or not, before he was packed off to Egypt.

Undav’s numbers last season in terms of goals and assists put him up there with the best in Europe. But there is a world of difference between scoring in the Jupiler League and doing it in England.

At £6 million, he is a relatively risk-free signing from an Albion point-of-view. If he brings his Belgium form to the Premier League, Brighton have themselves a bargain.

If he struggles, it is a relatively small amount lost in the world of Premier League finances – certainly compared to the fees spent on Locadia and Jahanbakhsh.

Setting low expectations for Undav does not burden him with pressure, nor does it mean that Albion fans end up disappointed should it not work out. A dose of realism will go a long way with Undav.