Can Potter keep Brighton up with his ambitious approach?
It’s been all change at the helm this season after Chris Hughton was sacked following another season in which he managed to steer them to safety.
However, Brighton’s poor run of form towards the tail end of the season was a worrying sign and the board ultimately opted to make a change at the top.
The Seagulls turned to Graham Potter, who chose to vacate his managerial position at Swansea in order to make the step up to the Premier League.
Without him, Swansea have made a flying start to the season under former England U-17s manager Steve Cooper. Championship betting indicates Swansea hold an outside chance of winning the division, priced at 12/1 with bet365.
A 3-0 victory away to Watford for Brighton on the opening day of the season took plenty by surprise, but as the season has progressed, and with Watford sitting bottom without a win after seven games, perhaps that result isn’t quite as glamorous as first thought.
A recent 2-0 defeat to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, although arguably expected, was disappointing to see as the Seagulls could only muster one shot on target while facing double figures from Lampard’s side.
Potter is clearly trying to implement a more possession-orientated approach to Brighton’s game, looking to build from the back, something completely different from Hughton’s style of play. However, Potter recognised his team was second best all afternoon and improvement is needed.
But Potter needs to know that he said can’t afford to take risks in every game in the Premier League – and Chelsea was certainly one of them.
The Premier League remains a learning curve for Potter, having only managed in Sweden and the Championship prior to his move to the south coast.
But as we all know, football managers often don’t get much time to settle into their new surroundings if results aren’t coming in.
Potter has been trusted and allowed to splash the cash, opting to bring in Neal Maupay from Brentford for £20 million among others. Potter has chosen to slowly bed him into the team, but he will need to prove he is capable of producing what he did in the Championship in the Premier League, especially if Brighton are to avoid the drop.
It’s going to be a tough season for Potter and his Brighton side, who will have to buy into his philosophies and style of play if they are to achieve their goals.
Whether or not the board gives him time remains to be seen, but they clearly weren’t happy with Hughton’s defensive style of play.
With that in mind, you would like to think the board will be slightly more patient as Potter implements a more attacking style for his squad.
After running the risk of relegation last campaign, Potter will be hoping his side aren’t in any danger heading into the January transfer window, where he will be hoping a couple of fresh faces will keep them firmly away from the bottom three.
