60 seconds on Brighton | Andy Naylor, The Athletic
Next up, it's Brighton at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday (5.30pm UK) and a return to the man who knows the Seagulls inside-out - Andy Naylor - @AndyNaylorBHAFC - Brighton correspondent at The Athletic, who has been covering the team since the late 1980s...
First up, Brighton have won five out of six – has that form been as good as it looks?
Andy: “Well, the interesting aspect of the recent run is that they're not particularly playing any better at all, really, than in the previous spell when they had one win in 13 league games. The big difference is key moments in matches, and they've managed moments in matches better. That is what's made the difference. Also, little bits of luck that maybe weren't going for them before, have been during the recent spell. So, there's not been a dramatic change in the performance level. The performance level has been pretty consistent despite the ups and downs in results.”
Tactically, anything different from Fabian Hurzeler's regular 4-2-3-1?
Andy: “Hurzeler is pretty consistent with the formation. It doesn't often veer away from that 4-2-3-1. Within that, the full-backs tend to play high, and sometimes they'll overlap the wingers. Then, with the two midfielders, you've got a mixture there. He's got a range of options, really, in terms of which two midfielders he selects. But, yes, formation-wise, he very occasionally switches to three centre-backs, very occasionally for a game and maybe during a game. That's very unlikely to happen on Saturday because Lewis Dunk, the long-serving captain, completes a two-match ban. So, he loses a centre-back anyway.”
We last played at the Amex back in September – who has caught the eye of late?
Andy: “There are quite a few players I could mention. Diego Gomez, a versatile Paraguayan international, has become quite a key player, scoring goals from different positions. What has emerged recently, which is quite interesting, is a left-sided partnership between Ferdi Kadioglu, an adventurous Turkish international left-back, who's in a really good run of form, and Yankuba Minteh, playing on the left rather than the right. He's better known as a right winger, but he has played on the left during a period when Kaoru Mitoma has been injured, basically, and he’s recovering, getting back from injury, getting back to full speed. He’s come off the bench in recent matches. So, Minteh played on the left with Kadioglu, and that combination worked particularly well at Burnley on Saturday.”
Obviously, you know all about our new Head Coach Roberto De Zerbi’s time at Brighton – you watched it all play out – what was that spell like?
Andy: “A rollercoaster ride and great fun. The way Brighton played, the manner of some of their performances in terms of the build-up is nothing like any Brighton supporter has ever seen before, and of course that culminated in reaching Europe for the first time in the club's history. They then reached the last 16 of the Europa League, but fell away in the league, eventually finishing 11th. There were ups and downs, but certainly the lasting impression is, stylistically, Brighton supporters will never have seen anything like it before.”
Finally, how do you think it will play out on Saturday?
Andy: “Clearly, I think coming into the game, there's a stark difference in confidence levels between the teams. I watched Roberto's first game in charge at Sunderland and I thought Spu were better, in the first half especially, but the big worry would be - it seemed to me, anyway - a lack of creativity, especially if you compare that to Brighton, who certainly do create chances and will create chances on Saturday.”
