Bumps in road inevitable for young Brighton squad and manager
May 2023: Albion’s newest South American signing Joao Pedro is introduced to the Amex crowd. Brighton lose 5-1 to Everton.
December 2024: Albion’s newest South American signing Diego Gomez is introduced to the Amex crowd. Brighton lose 3-1 to Crystal Palace.
Let us hope Gomez has a similar positive impact to our Brazilian star, but as he waved to fans ahead of kick off I had a queasy premonition that, well…
The fan dressed in full blue and white Santa gear dejectedly making his way across the coach park after Sunday’s game summed up the distinct lack of festive spirit most of us felt.
Our undefeated home run in the league was always going to end at some point, but it could not hurt more than for it to happen against Palace.
Speaking as someone who was at the Goldstone and Selhurst Park games where the rivalry began, it perhaps doesn’t have the bite it once did. But nonetheless it is still painful.
That was reflected in the number of Brighton fans leaving early and in the comments online. Agree or disagree with those actions or statements, it would not be the high emotion, high stakes clash it is if people didn’t react. Albion against Palace can bring out the best and worst in us.
On a weekend where two clubs who have taken points from us recently – Wolves and Southampton – have sacked their managers, a few hotheads have called for Fabian Hurzeler to meet the same fate.
That is premature and disproportionate in terms of where we are in the table, still in the top 10 and only four points off the Champions League places.
Hurzeler – who is still The Youngest Permanent Manager in Premier League History according to well-briefed commentators – was Manager of the Month for August. He was nominated again for the award in October and November.
And he could do no wrong in the week after we overturned a Manchester City lead to record a jubilant 2-1 home win over the four-in-a-row champions.
As it turns out, pretty much anyone and everyone can defeat Pep Guardiola’s giants at the moment. That though reinforces something highlighted by Nick Miller and Duncan Alexander in The Athletic last week.
2024-25 has been one of the most inconsistent seasons ever in the Premier League, certainly since Leicester won the title a decade ago.
“The longest winning streak currently in the Premier League is four games. Last season at this stage it was six, and looking back over the last decade, it was nine in 2016-17 and 13 in 2017-18.”
With the obvious exception of Liverpool – to whom two of the Albion’s five defeats this season have been at the hands of – everyone has had a mixed set of results to one extent or another.
Spurs have been more “Spursy” than ever. Newcastle United and Manchester United are placed lower in the league than their fans expect.
A mere six-point gap between fourth and 13th as we approach the halfway stage shows how competitive the Premier League this season.
Miller and Alexander put that down to a mix of PSR, spending power of clubs like Bournemouth and the Albion, injuries, more attacking styles of play and the pressure of international tournaments and European games on players.
The continuation of the high risk, high reward style of Roberto De Zerbi by Hurzeler, where pressing high and overloading on attack means a vulnerability to breaks on the counter attack, does seem to be a factor.
With a distinct lack of clean sheets this season, people are asking questions about this approach. Why hasn’t Hurzeler been able to replicate his record as having had the best defence in the 2.Bundesliga last season? Not to mention the success St Pauli enjoyed from set pieces?
Questions have been asked of Lewis Dunk too. Has he returned from injury too soon? Is it time for his long and valued service to the club to draw to a close?
Is Igor Julio better suited to the speed and physicality of forward lines like that of Palace? Really, only Dunk and the coaching staff can give answers to that.
But a counter argument might be that in a situation where Adam Lallana and Pascal Gross are gone; Danny Welbeck, Adam Webster and James Milner injured; where does the experience lie when trying to avoid the late-stage capitulations like those against Wolves and Leicester?
Whether our four games without a win is the start of a slide or just a blip – and despite the defensive and set piece issues that need to be addressed – there is much to be positive about.
Goals have been spread around the squad and have been of real quality over those four games. Carlos Baleba at Fulham and Tariq Lamptey at Leicester perhaps the stand out ones.
As well as the debut of Gomez to come in January, there are returns for Welbeck, Webster, Ferdi Kadioglu, Matt O’Riley, Joel Veltman, Jack Hinshelwood and Solly March to consider.
That list highlights why Albion have again topped the injury league this season – but it should give grounds for optimism.
If games against the bottom six have proved difficult, the next three against West Ham, Brentford and Aston Villa to round out the year are potentially more ‘even’ in terms of sides not necessarily willing to play 10 men behind the ball while hoping for a break.
This is a young Brighton side with a young coach learning in the most competitive, tightest Premier League season for 10 years where almost every team is taking points off each other.
The dominance of the Big Six is being challenged. With new and returning talent to join the Albion’s battle for points, a couple of wins over the Christmas and New Year period could put us very much back in contention for European football in 2025.
Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC
