Even greater days ahead for Brighton if De Zerbi 60% claim is right
I don’t get to many away games and after the demolition of Liverpool, the visit to the King Power Stadium was a frustrating one. Our play at times was stifled by a recovering Leicester City side and an obvious penalty somehow missed by both the referee and the VAR team.
Nevertheless, it was a privilege to see two great goals from Kaoru Mitoma and Evan Ferguson – the two revelations of this season’s side – and to be reminded of the awesome noise Albion fans make when concentrated in one area of an away ground.
Even had we come away with all three points, the Fulham v Spurs tie this week was always going to guarantee we ended January in sixth at best anyway.
But what a lofty perch from which to look down on others like, to pluck one random example from mid table, Crystal Palace.
Attention now turns to what is next and where the Albion might sit at the end of January after the FA Cup fourth round weekend.
We could of course be en route to Wembley, silverware and an alternative path to European football, but I fear Jurgen Klopp’s team will not be as easily overcome a second time in two weeks.
With Manchester United out of reach for the moment on 38 points and Aston Villa three points adrift of the top 10, let us look at the “bottom half of the top half” of the table as it stands.
Whilst the top four of Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle and Manchester United are separated by more than 10 points, the six teams down to Villa in 11th have barely six points between them. It is very tight.
Importantly, the Albion have a game in hand on everyone except Liverpool in ninth. That is the yet-to-be-rescheduled home tie against Palace postponed in September due to train strikes.
Our +10 goal difference following the recent scoring spree gives us an advantage over both Spurs (+8) and Liverpool (+9) with Fulham, Chelsea, Brentford and Villa all below +5.
Spurs face City, Leicester, West Ham and Chelsea in February. Fulham have Chelsea, Forest, us and Wolves. Brentford have Southampton, Arsenal, Palace and United, while Liverpool face Wolves, Everton, Newcastle and Palace. Chelsea have Fulham, West Ham, Southampton and Spurs. We have Bournemouth, Palace, Fulham and Newcastle.
It is a pretty balanced set of fixtures for all. With three games between the “bottom of the top half” sides, the battle for European places could remain just as close come March.
Let us hope no successful bid is made for Moises Caicedo in the final days of January and that there are no fresh injury concerns, particularly for Mitoma and Ferguson.
We also should hope that Robert De Zerbi and his transformational impact on Solly March continues to bear fruit.
Whilst we knew what promise Alexis Mac Allister had – particularly after his goals against Leicester in Graham Potter’s final game – did we really think he would start the new year brimming with confidence and skill, the holder of a World Cup winners medal? He will be missed for the Bournemouth game.
These are already great days to be a Brighton fan and if De Zerbi is right with his assertion that this squad is only delivering 60 percent of what it is capable of, then even greater days are around the corner as winter gives way to spring.
Warren Morgan @WarrenBHAFC
