Sheffield United look to bring Brighton back down to Earth
Just three days after beating Ajax Amsterdam away from home on one of the greatest nights in the history of Brighton & Hove Albion, the Seagulls host struggling Sheffield United at the Amex. And we can probably all see what happens next.
Defeat the four times European champions in their own back yard to create memories that will last a lifetime. Then lose (or if we are lucky, draw) against the team bottom of the table with one win from 11 matches so far.
This is – and always has been – the Brighton way. Not even a manager destined for world class greatness like Roberto De Zerbi has managed to tame it. Beat Manchester United 1-0… lose 5-1 to Everton… win 3-0 at Arsenal.
No matter the heady times the Albion are currently living through, that ability to veer from the sublime to the ridiculous and back again in double quick time remains. Brighton would simply not be Brighton without it.
There are of course more reasons to be wary of the Blades beyond the Albion having put together an incredible performance and a fantastic result last time out.
Firstly, Brighton are crippled with injury ahead of facing Sheffield United. James Milner, Lewis Dunk and Pervis Estupinan all limped off in the 2-0 win over Ajax with De Zerbi confirming none will be available for the visit of the Blades.
The lack of fit and available natural left back is a particular problem. Take your boots along to the Amex today, stand outside when the team coach arrives, tell De Zerbi that you can play left back and you might find yourself getting a game.
Either that or the Albion will find themselves pulling Kerry Mayo out of the stands and giving him Brighton appearance number 413, just the 14-and-a-half years after game 412 against Tranmere Rovers. That finished 0-0, in case you are interested.
Tiredness of course is a concern, as it always is in the immediate aftermath of Thursday night fun in the Europa League.
Brighton have followed up just one of their three European assignments with victory, seeing off Plucky Little Bournemouth 3-1 after the 3-2 defeat to AEK Athens back in September.
De Zerbi has heavily rotated his XI in virtually every game so far. The lack of available personnel may dictate that changes are kept to a minimum from Thursday night, unless he is willing to dip into the development squad and utilise the likes of Jack Hinshelwood again.
Then there are the opposition. Brighton do not have a particularly good recent record against Sheffield United, the Blades having last suffered defeat in Sussex as long ago as 1987. Danny Wilson and Terry Connor scored in a 2-0 win.
In the intervening 36 years, the Seagulls have beaten United just once. Richard Carpenter and Leon Knight netted in a memorable 2-1 success at Bramall Lane in 2005 with the winner coming in the very last seconds.
Particularly painful are the memories from the Blades last spell in the top flight. Sheffield United were rock bottom and had made the worst ever start to a season in Premier League history when they arrived at the Amex in December 2021.
They then went down to 10 men before even 30 minutes had been played. Brighton could not have hoped for a better opportunity to avoid equalling the club record of 11 home matches without victory, set by the 1997-98 vintage widely considered the worst team in Albion history.
This though was Brighton in lockdown under Glow Up Graham Potter. 10 man United took a second half lead through Jayden Bogle and it needed Danny Welbeck to spare the Albion and Potter’s blushes late in the day by equalising.
It was up there as one of the most embarrassing results of the Seagulls’ time in the Premier League, along with the 5-0 defeat to Bournemouth. Insert quote about history lessons and all that…
The return game at Bramall Lane five months later saw the Blades win 1-0, to the surprise of absolutely nobody. United were managerless and just awaiting relegation to be confirmed.
David McGoldrick struck the only goal of the game with 19 minutes on the clock to ensure that Potter and the Albion were very much still in the relegation mix with the campaign hurtling towards its conclusion.
With everything that has happened these past two seasons, it is almost hard to remember just how dire much of that 2020-21 campaign was.
Had 30,000 been in the Amex every home game to witness 14 matches without a victory or just one win across the entire calendar year of 2020, the fans may well have turned on Potter.
There is little chance of that happening to De Zerbi. Potentially being the first side to lose to Sheffield United this season is a price worth paying for nights like winning away in Amsterdam.
The rest of the football world would consider defeat for Brighton a major shock. Not seasoned Albion observers though. Which is part of the fun and charm of supporting the Seagulls.
It is never dull. Who knows what will happen against the Blades?
