Next step for improving Brighton: Better decision making on the pitch

There was a time in the not-too-distant past that if an Albion forward or midfield player played a ball back to midfield or defence when chasing a goal, the Amex crowd would murmur disapprovingly.

The collective groans were occasionally audible as far away as the Withdean. However, there was a moment during Tuesday night’s more-than-deserved draw with Chelsea when Adam Webster, on one of his many attacking forays into the opposition half, decided the most sensible method of retaining possession was to lay it back to Dan Burn on the halfway line.

This time, the ball was met with applause; the home crowd collectively appreciating the top-level decision making.

Now, I’m not suggesting that certain fans weren’t applauding this type of play in the past. Plenty of us would always have much rather recycled possession and attempt to build from the back again if the right option was not available.

My point is that the collective mindset appears to be changing for the positive – and I will come back to decision making in a moment.

First of all, it is important to focus on what was another superb performance from the Albion on Tuesday night.

Going into a game like this, or any game for that matter, in previous years without Lewis Dunk, Yves Bissouma, and Adam Lallana would have been a serious cause for alarm.

Throw into the mix Graham Potter’s penchant for a surprise starting line-up every so often and you can add Leandro Trossard and Neal Maupay to the list of non-starters.

However, Potter was proved right as his XI were terrific. A few may have doubted starting Pascal Gross again so soon after his lukewarm display against Crystal Palace, but he’s a class act and has been for Brighton since his arrival from Ingolstadt.

It was no surprise to see him put in a solid midfield shift. Steven Alzate (making only his second league start of the campaign) was also excellent, regularly shrugging off world class midfield operators Jorginho and N’Golo Kante.

Tariq Lamptey was a constant threat down the right, with Joel Veltman providing solid defensive cover behind him to allow him that freedom.

Marc Cucurella just gets better and better as each game passes. He dominated the Albion left from minute one, and was defensively excellent as well as offering thrust in attack.

£97 million pound man Romelu Lukaku will be delighted he doesn’t have to face Dan Burn again in the league season.

Albion’s centre back had another monumental display keeping the striker at bay. However, it was Burn’s defensive partner, and captain for the evening, Adam Webster who took the Man of the Match award – and rightly so.

Webster was magnificent all night. He was confident in possession, striding out of defence time and again to great effect. He was also assured in every challenge and block he needed to make at the back.

His biggest contribution of the night, of course, occurred in the opposition penalty area when Alexis Mac Allister’s well-placed corner was brilliantly met by his thumping header, giving Kepa Arrizabalaga no chance in the Chelsea net.

The only downside of Tuesday night was the usual stuttering in front of goal. Danny Welbeck showed tremendous effort in the first half but looked like a man with not much football in his legs this season.

When Maupay and Trossard were introduced in the second half, it was more of the same; misplaced key passes or balls slightly under or over hit. On one occasion, Maupay would have been clean through on goal had the ball not bounced off his heel.

Of course, there is an element of luck in any football match, but a lot of this comes down to decision making.

This can be the key factor between a good player and a great player. Great players, more often than not, make the right decisions in key moments in games.

Often when Albion find themselves in promising positions, that final ball or shot is rushed. Is this down to a rush of blood to the head? Or pressure maybe?

Potter has already proven himself to be an excellent coach, with the players clearly understanding their defined roles.

I suppose this just goes to show how one of the hardest things in football remains making the right decision in those game-changing moments, and just how difficult it must be to replicate that on a training pitch.

Earlier in the season I wrote about how I felt this would be the year that the Albion were finally looking up the table, rather than down, and I’m pleased to have been right about that so far.

Let’s not kid ourselves, this has been an excellent league campaign up to now, and a ninth place finish would indicate significant progression again under Potter.

I guess I am just being too greedy hoping for the next phase of the project to happen right now. It shows how far Brighton have come in the last few seasons that we are disappointed with a draw against the champions of Europe.

Like the home crowds of old, I was getting impatient for a moment that we weren’t moving forward fast enough towards those European places.

I need to be more like Tuesday night’s crowd and be pleased that we’re in the conversation at all.

Mark Elms @Mark_Elms71