Liverpool last of the big six for Brighton to beat at home

With a highly entertaining Friday soap opera involving Leandro Trossard being played out in front of our very eyes, the fact Brighton have to face Liverpool is something that could easily be forgotten by Albion fans swept up in all the excitement.

What happened with our little Belgian friend? How long have you got? First Roberto De Zerbi reiterated his stance on Trossard being dropped for not giving 100 percent since his return from the World Cup.

Then Trossard’s agent released a statement saying a transfer was the only way to resolve the situation. The statement claimed the Vampire of Genk had been badly treated as an unused substitute at Everton, reported an injury which was later confirmed by the medical team and was then humiliated by De Zerbi in front of the entire squad.

The best bit of the statement by a country mile was the revelation Trossard had an altercation with a teammate over a trivial matter. The mind boggles over what that could have been.

Did Trossard and Jeremy Sarmiento fall out over whether Mick is dead in EastEnders or safely escaped the clutches of Janine to make it to France?

Maybe Trossard and Adam Webster had a heated exchange about a Jaffa Cake being a biscuit or a cake? Or could a game of Scrabble with Tariq Lamptey have descended into farce when a questionable abbreviation was used?

Next we find out Trossard has unfollowed Lewis Dunk on Instagram. Then somebody reports Trossard was spotted on the Eurotunnel on Friday afternoon, heading for an unknown destination on the continent. He was staging his own personal Brexit.

As Pam in Gavin & Stacey says, “It’s all the drama Mick, I just love it!” And it is addictive stuff, so much so that 244 words of what is supposed to be a Brighton v Liverpool match preview has already been dictated to Trossardgate.

So we better start talking about Seagulls v Reds, yeah? After all, that is what we are here for. Except you cannot talk about Brighton hosting Liverpool without mentioning what happened at Anfield in October. And that means talking about Trossard again.

For it was he who notched three times on Merseyside, joining an exclusive club of players to have scored top flight hat-tricks for the Albion. Only Peter Ward and Gordon Smith had previously achieved the feat back in the early 1980s.

It finished Liverpool 3-3 Brighton as we had our first glimpse of what life was going to be like under Roberto De Zerbi. More risk taking, better going forward but much more open at the back.

De Zerbi has found a way to end the difficulty in scoring goals which plagued the Albion for much of the Graham Potter era. A lot of people are happily talking about that.

What fewer Brighton fans are acknowledging is that De Zerbi is yet to transform home form in the same way. The Seagulls struggled at the Amex with Potter at the helm and with one win, one draw and two defeats under De Zerbi, there has been little improvement in that field.

De Zerbi has told the Albion to dream of Europe but if they are to get there, then they need to start winning more games at home in 2023. And who better to start against than a Liverpool side who look a shadow of their former self?

The Reds remain the only one of the European Super League Elite Six clubs who Brighton are yet to defeat at the Amex.

Arsenal and Manchester United were knocked off in 2018. Spurs in 2019. Manchester City in 2021 and you should not need any reminder of the humiliation of Glow Up Graham and Chelsea, which remains De Zerbi’s sole home victory so far.

Despite their good record away at Brighton, Liverpool fans are fearing their visit. The rest of the Premier League has seen De Zerbi’s side score more goals than any other team over their past six matches, sticking in four at Everton and three at Southampton.

Leaders Arsenal were lucky to escape with three points and only two goals conceded too. The reputation of Brighton as xG kings playing nice football but not knowing how to score has been well and truly banished by De Zerbi.

Even Jurgen Klopp acknowledged this in his pre-game press conference. “In our best seasons, Brighton is a tough place to go,” said the Liverpool manager, implying that the Reds may have a bit of a problem seeing as this is nowhere near their best season.

Liverpool’s midfield three has come in for heavy criticism which may yet lead to them being the side who meets Tony Bloom’s asking price for Moises Caicedo in the summer.

There have also been plenty of questions asked about Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan has scored 10 goals in all competitions at the same time as producing a series of misses so astonishing that they would make even Aaron Connolly blush.

Nunez is yet to really look like an £85 million centre forward. With Brighton having spent three transfer windows trying to sign Nunez from Almeria and then Benfica before he came to the attention of Liverpool, he will undoubtedly bang in a hat-trick if he overcomes injury to play.

But even with most Seagulls supporters expecting Nunez to score, there is a confidence running through the Albion fanbase that Brighton will secure their first Amex win over the Reds.

Part of that is down to the number of goals being scored by the Albion. Part of that is down to the performances since the winter break, six weeks De Zerbi and his coaching team have clearly put to very good use in versing the players in the ways of DeZerbiBall.

And part of it is because of the changing mentality De Zerbi is introducing at Brighton. His talk of the Albion being a big club, of Europe and of the belief Brighton can win things to the point he is still pissed off about elimination from the Carabao Cup at the hands of Charlton Athletic is infectious.

At the start of the week, Brighton were 11/4 to beat Liverpool. A couple of quid from WAB Towers went on an Albion win at that price, since when the odds have contracted to 12/5.

Normally betting on an outright three points for Brighton is a big no-no for fear of jinxing it. It is a compliment to De Zerbi that he has created this feeling that superstition can be thrown out of the window and the Albion can beat anyone.

Exciting, isn’t it? Almost as exciting as Trossardgate.

(Any complaints regarding WAB jinxing the game in the event Brighton lose to Liverpool should be directed via email to webteam@wearebrighton.com)