4 defeats from 23 games made Brighton fans forget what losing was like
A second bad performance in a row and a third game without a goal were what Brighton came away from their defeat against Aston Villa with.
Lots of questions have been asked about this bad run – but perhaps we are all forgetting that defeats are not unusual for a club like the Albion in the Premier League? To have only lost four games of 23 before this sequence of reversals is what is not normal.
Not much analysis is needed about the deformation of the past few weeks. Brighton fought to the end in the 2-0 defeat at Manchester United and yet could not score.
The Albion were also defeated by Burnley without scoring again. The same thing happened against Villa. The problem is a lack of goals coupled with a defence who have gone from reliable to conceding too many.
Remember between the September 2-1 win against Leicester City and beating Brentford on Boxing Day that Brighton did not win for three months. How much cause for concern was there then?
Not as much as now. That is because Brighton were good defensively during that long run without a victory and had a habit of scoring when it mattered most to rescue 1-1 draws, Neal Maupay being the main protagonist.
Things feel different currently. Maupay has one chance a game compared to the three and four he was getting. When Brighton go behind, the belief that they are capable of a reaction is lacking. This is most notable in games at the Amex.
Looking at the defence, mistakes are happening. Graham Potter pushes the line too high. A typical example is the second goal Villa scored from Ollie Watkins coming from a long pass catching Joel Veltman out.
It was the sort of goal Brighton never conceded when they were tough to beat before February began and they had lost on just four occasions. Giving five goals up to Burnley and Villa is a worry.
As for the positives? In a strange way, the fact that standards have risen high enough at the Albion for us to be carrying out an inquest into three consecutive Premier League defeats.
Losing three matches in the top flight a few seasons ago would have been considered normal. Now we find it unacceptable.
A sign of the progress being made, but at the same time we must not forget that defeats happen for a club like the Seagulls at the highest level.
Another positive is bad runs of form like these three losses in a row are how teams grow and learn. Brighton can be better for the setbacks.
Maybe long-term, a smaller step forward to finishing in the top 10 would be better than European football for a young squad who may not be ready to compete on Thursday nights yet.
It is why we should not be too alarmed by the recent run. Brighton just need the right match to reverse the situation.
Would it be a surprise if that was the next fixture against Newcastle? The Seagulls could become the first team to beat Newcastle in the Premier League in 2022 two weeks after being the second team to lose to Burnley this season.
This season has seen Brighton have several victories, many draws and few defeats. Now Albion fans are being reminded what losing feels like and must remember that We Are Brighton in difficult times as well as good.
Now let’s remind Dan Burn what it feels like to lose…
Dimitris Manakos @dimitris_manakos
