What lies ahead for Brighton this season

The win against Manchester United was not a surprise, yes Erik Ten Hag’s side are not performing, but Albion are playing some good football, and it is likely that they can spring a surprise as they looked very switched on at the start of the tournament.

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Last season, the Seagulls finished ninth and failed to get past the fourth round of the Carabao Cup and FA Cup. The aim is to prove that they are ready for bigger things. Will they do it?

Brighton Stadium from above. Source: https://flic.kr/p/2hybBzr

Renewed forward line
The team has only acquired the services of Paraguayan forward Julio Enciso from Libertad of Paraguay. He is only 18 years old, but in the seasons he played in South American football he dazzled and that earned him a contract with Brighton.

Four years for 9 million pounds was the cost of this youngster, who promises a lot. His tender age makes him tireless, and he can play all over the attacking axis.

His natural position is centre forward, and that is where he played best at Liberty, but he is not unfamiliar with the flanks and when required on the wing he did very well.

He has an impressive dribbling and explosion that can be very useful in the Premier League. He hits with both legs and can put in good crosses that will feed Danny Welbeck whenever he can.

As a centre forward he is lethal, he gets off the mark very easily and has the goal memorised, and wastes no time in controlling and settling for a shot, he can volley it in without a hitch.

Obviously, the aim of coach Graham Potter is to bring him on slowly because of his age. He is not the solution, but he is part of the jigsaw the team needs to improve on last season.

Another addition was Chelsea’s centre-back, Levi Colwill. A young English centre-back who comes from Chelsea on loan, he will surely help the team’s defence, which sometimes suffered a little because of the losses they had and because they play with a three-man back line, and that sometimes means that the team does not have so many elements at the back.

There were only three centre-backs in the squad and the addition of Colwill extends the options a little more so that in the difficult part of the season they don’t have to improvise.

Sensitive departures
The main problem was the departures, there were several, but there were two very important ones that will surely be sensitive later in the season. The first was the Ivorian Yves Bissouma.

The midfielder was a regular in Potter’s team. A pivot who was a real vacuum cleaner on the pitch, recovering and distributing with a lot of criteria, he helped a lot in defence as he put his leg in and made himself felt, but he was never sent off.

He was sometimes used as a central midfielder, but played most of the Premier League in a pivotal position, where he scored two goals and provided two assists.

His season was so good that Tottenham ended up taking him for £25 million. The midfield will not be the same without Bissouma.

But the most painful loss was that of Marc Cucurella. Only one season was enough for the Catalan to win the hearts of the fans, and the left-back became one of the team’s most important weapons.

He could play in any position, from centre-back to left-winger, and he was a guarantee in every position. He was voted player of the season and was expected to continue for another year, but Chelsea jumped at the chance to take him and dealt Brighton a heavy blow.

It will be difficult to replace Marc for all he did and all he offered, but not impossible. Graham Potter will find alternatives to keep the defence and offence going, as we saw in the game against United, where they won.

What’s in store for Brighton
The season will not be easy, yes they beat Manchester United in an excellent game at Old Trafford. But the absentees are going to be sensitive and if someone goes down injured, and there are no purchases, later on, there will be gaps in the line-up that will be difficult to fill.

Last season they won four games but then went 11 without a win and although the team picked up a lot of chances and points to think about Europe. There was also a time when there were 6 consecutive defeats, 4 of them at home.

The main objective is to weigh up the home advantage. Not to drop points playing at Falmer Stadium and to manage the squad, which is a bit short at the moment. It is important to get important points in the first round to avoid suffering in the important part.

Now, there is something to consider, the league is going to stop for the World Cup and that makes this tournament very special.

The players are going to take more care of themselves because they want to get to Qatar without injuries and with a good rhythm, which will make the first round a speculative one.

Taking advantage of the good momentum of the team to get as many points as possible is important. Graham Potter knows it and the team already knows each other, they know that the absence of Cucurella is very sensitive, and they will have to multiply and find solutions to what the Spaniard was doing, but the squad has been together for a while, and they understand each other well.

The most complex visits, as always, will be to Stanford Bridge, the Etihad, the Emirates, and Tottenham. They have already overcome the first complicated hurdle, which is Old Trafford, but getting points at those grounds would be ideal for thinking about a European tournament.

In the cups, the objective is simple, to get past the fourth round and continue to advance as far as the squad is able.

The limitation of the squad makes player management complicated and competing against teams as big as City or Chelsea becomes mission impossible, but there are surprises in tournaments, and we have no doubt that maybe one can happen.

In short, it will be a season to grit our teeth. There is a team, but it has to be managed, the squad has to be rotated and trust in the youngsters, in fact of the additions, most of them were in the U21 team.

Three players went straight into the youth ranks to feed into the first team when appropriate and necessary. Brighton could be a pleasant surprise in this Premier League.