The 2021/22 was a season to remember for Brighton and those at the Amex Stadium as they secured their highest finish in the Premier League era.
After finishing ninth in the table, expectations were normal to rise this season and Graham Potter initially delivered before leaving for Chelsea in September. Roberto de Zerbi, Potter’s successor, has had a mixed start to life at the Sussex-based side but has still managed to keep them seventh in the table after 14 games.
With the World Cup now underway, it is perhaps the best time to look back at how Brighton have fared in the first three months of the 2022/23 campaign. Here are three things to take note of from the Seagulls so far.
#Leandro Trossard and Solly March are key for Brighton
Two players who have stood out for Brighton this season so far are Leandro Trossard and Solly March.
Trossard, by far, has been the best player, scoring seven goals and registering three assists in 14 Premier League appearances. The Belgian has scored a hat-trick against Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League at the start of October, while he has also netted against Man City and Chelsea.
Like Trossard, March has started every single league game this term. He has been consistently good as a wing-back, driving forward with the ball, creating chances and delivering delicious crosses in the box. Over the last couple of years, both Trossard and March were crucial players for Potter, and their importance has only increased at Brighton under De Zerbi.
#More intensity in their play
Potter gave Brighton the identity of an exciting side playing an entertaining, possession-based style of football. But Potter’s team were often not clinical in front of goal, as evidenced by 42 goals scored in 38 games last season.
Under De Zerbi, the Seagulls’ play has gone a level above with more emphasis on intensity, pressing and attack. There has been a noticeable increase in the intensity and speed with which Brighton have played, with creative players taking more control of the game.
This, of course, has resulted in De Zerbi’s side conceding a lot of goals but there is excitement and zest guaranteed at the other end of the pitch—something Brighton didn’t always produce under the Italian’s predecessor in three years.
#The future is bright under De Zerbi
Not only are Brighton in good hands under De Zerbi already but there are also a number of young talents showing their potential under the new boss. There have been a few players who have proved that they are hungry to improve and impress.
Moises Caicedo has already done enough this term to catch the eye of many top European clubs, while Julio Enciso and Jeremy Sarmiento hugely impressed in Brighton’s 3-1 win over Arsenal in the EFL Cup third round earlier this month.
Should De Zerbi be backed in January, then the acquisition of new talents and young prospects could be key in the Seagulls’ pursuit of another top-half finish. It is still early days in the Italian manager’s reign but the improvement is there for everyone to see.