More injury problems mount for Brighton ahead of Spurs
What is the footballing equivalent of receiving a lump of coal in a stocking? Losing two of your most important players for four to six weeks at a time when an already crippling injury list exists at your club?
Roberto De Zerbi (or somebody else at the Albion) must have been very troublesome this year. In his press conference before Brighton host Spurs in their final game of 2023, the Seagulls head coach revealed he will now be without Kaoru Mitoma and Simon Adingra for the foreseeable future.
That leaves De Zerbi with no fit wingers and just one natural full back. And that full back is Pervis Estupinan, himself yet to play after returning from nearly two months on the shelf and therefore only available for a cameo appearance off the bench.
There were more fit and healthy men left in the Queen Victoria pub at the hands of the EastEnders Six on Christmas night than there are for De Zerbi to pick from in wide positions.
Either Joao Pedro or Facundo Buonanotte will have to play on the wing – and neither has looked great when deployed there so far this season – or someone is going to have to step up from the Under 21s.
Whatever way you look at it, it is not great for Brighton before taking on a Tottenham side who already had the Premier League title won by the end of October under new head coach Ange Postecoglou.
Spurs have gone off the boil a little bit since being declared champions after going unbeaten through their first 10 games of the campaign.
Four defeats and a draw followed, although Postecoglou seems to have steadied the ship a little with Tottenham winning their past three games in a row.
With Postecoglou sticking to his belief in attacking football no matter the circumstances – such as being down to nine men at home to Chelsea – Spurs are similar to Brighton under De Zerbi in that results tend to be either sink or swim.
That should in theory at least make for an enthralling 90 minutes of football between two attack-minded teams.
No need to abandon Amazon Prime TV halfway through and instead go looking for a good deal on an air fryer, as has often been the case when Brighton have appeared on the streaming platform before.
And to balance out the Albion’s injury issues, Spurs have a length absentee list of their own. At least eight Tottenham players are ruled out and they could arrive at the Amex with only one available centre back.
This is what makes the total meltdown over Brighton’s medical department all the more ridiculous. Multiple clubs are approaching double figures for the number of players ruled out – not just the Albion.
The World Cup being played in the middle of last season and the ever-increasing demands of pre-season schedules in which player welfare comes second to making money and growing brands are having a clear impact.
Yet Brighton fans talk about how the club should release some sort of statement about why there are so many injuries, as if supporters have a right to know the private medical details of players just because they play for our club.
There have even been calls for an inquest to be launched. Why isn’t Tony Bloom on the phone to Sue Gray right now and asking her to interview De Zerbi, the bloke who looks like Gregg Wallace, Solly March, Julio Enciso and the whole medical department before producing a report like she did on Partygate?
Before Brighton take on Spurs, how about a couple of positive views of the injury list rather than demanding the Albion’s physios are given 50 years in the Tower of London?
Mitoma and Adingra were going to be absent from mid-January onwards anyway at the Asian Cup and African Cup of Nations respectively. They would have returned from tournaments in Qatar and Ivory Coast more burnt out than before.
Between four and six weeks out means no international tournaments and some much needed rest and recovery. They then return in mid-February, ready for the final charge towards what we hope will be another lofty finish in the Premier League and a continued run in Europe.
This applies to many of the other players injured. Joel Veltman, Tariq Lamptey, Ansu Fati, Enciso… they are all due back before the start of March when the business end of the season kicks in.
If Brighton are able to send out a full strength side who are fit and refreshed through inactivity over the winter months, then no team in the Premier or Europa Leagues will want to face the Seagulls.
And even with this ridiculous injury list, Brighton have lost to only Aston Villa, Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal since the start of September. Three defeats to title challengers and one to a club who have spent £1 billion in 12 months.
Spurs will provide a tough test at the Amex to round off what has been an incredible 2023. The here and now might look challenging for the Albion, but there are still reasons to be positive going into 2024.
No matter what the result against Tottenham.
