Plenty of football left for Brighton to save their season
There is no point dwelling on what happened in Rome on Thursday night. If you accept the miracle of remaining in the Europa League is beyond Brighton, then full focus can be given to the remaining 11 Premier League matches. No more distractions. No more rotation. Just a determination to get back into that top seven.
11 Premier League matches remain for the Albion, starting with the visit of Nottingham Forest to the Amex. Brighton have won four league games since their dramatic 3-2 victory at Forest back in November and yet they remain in the hunt for European football again next season.
2023-24 must count as something of a weird season if you can taste victory only five times out of 20 and still sit 10th in the table, eight points off sixth and three points off seventh. It is a situation Brighton need to take advantage of.
Easier said than done, of course. The Albion have shipped eight goals in their last three matches without scoring. Confidence is as low as it has been in the Roberto De Zerbi Era so far, to the point the head coach is now appearing to publicly criticise the board.
Such moves never end well at football clubs, let alone one which has as thin a skin as Brighton. Just ask Gus Poyet, who has been persona non grata since his spectacular falling out with Bloom and Paul Barber and subsequent sacking.
The man who started the Albion revolution on the pitch and delivered one of Brighton’s greatest ever seasons airbrushed from history. Ouch.
Hopefully, it does not end the same way for De Zerbi. The situation remains salvageable, but Brighton need wins and they need them fast if things are not to spiral totally out of control.
The secret to the Seagulls’ success under De Zerbi last season was a settled team, 4-2-3-1 and a razor sharp focus on what the ultimate goal was – European football.
This season, Brighton have made more changes to their starting XI than any other Premier League side. Injuries have not helped and whilst the squad was perhaps not strengthened enough in the summer for European football, the sheer amount of rotation has proven detrimental.
The continued perseverance with a back three is beginning to border on insanity now. Four goals shipped at Luton. Three goals shipped at Fulham. Four goals shipped at Roma.
De Zerbi has to revert to the 4-2-3-1 in which this squad of players look far more comfortable playing, otherwise those writing the season off as over before the middle of March will probably be proven correct.
With the Europa League practically over and the Albion out of the FA Cup, the players can better focus on one goal and one goal only.
Last season, it was making history by taking Brighton into Europe. This season, it can now be repeating the trick.
When you consider the injuries, the sales of Alexis Mac Allister and Moises Caicedo and the additional workload, to qualify for even the Europa Conference come the end of May would be a bigger achievement than last year’s sixth place finish.
As for Nottingham Forest, they arrive at the Amex just three points above the relegation zone. Replacing the popular Steve Cooper with Nuno is a move yet to really work out.
And then there is the appointment of Gladiators referee Mark Clattenburg in some made-up position dealing with decisions which go against Forest.
They are a club who have become so concerned about their fate that they now pay Clattenburg to point out where they have been wronged… as if the Premier League will pay any attention or rescind decisions. It is total nonsense.
Brighton have been on their fair share of refereeing mistakes and PGMOL apologies over the past 12 months. Does Bloom bring in Mike Dean to advise on them? Of course he doesn’t.
This though is the way football appears to be going. With more drama off the pitch than on it; from refereeing consultants to titles and relegations decided by points deductions and appeal lawyers.
Brighton could yet add to the drama with their own off-field shenanigans should results continue to be poor and De Zerbi keep swiping at Bloom. Nobody wants that.
Time instead for De Zerbi and these players to start doing their talking on the pitch. Three points from Forest would lift the gloom and provide a platform for the 10 remaining Premier League games afterwards.
Over to you, Albion…
