[Albion] Are we back to pre-April Potter?

[Deadly Danson]

The last 2 games have felt to me - emotionally rather than tactically perhaps - like the worst aspects of the Potter era. Playing pretty nice football, getting in some good positions but never really looking like scoring, making one too many passes and not being direct enough. I found, and I'm well aware how ungrateful and possibly ridiculous it sounds, chunks of the Potter era to be incredibly frustrating - not because we were rubbish but because we were good, playing well and often not finishing teams off. What's even more frustrating is that we finally seemed to have cracked it after Norwich last season and were both playing great football and putting the ball in the net when Chelsea came calling.
We all know what will happen on Tuesday and against Chelsea and Man City so we somehow need to pick up a point or 2 against Wolves and Villa to wake ourselves up again or else its going to be a long season. All of which is easier said than done. Fingers crossed De Zerbi can flick that switch and get us going again. None of which probably makes a lot of sense but wanted to share after 2 really disappointing evenings.

 

[Bold Seagull]

Not end of August Potter?

 

[BNthree]

Yep back to *sucks air through teeth* “we’ll take the positives and learn lessons from this” Potter era

 

[Icy Gull]

We are back to where we were for 80% of GPs time here. A goal scoring striker light still

 

[portlock seagull]

Toney 2 - 0 Albion, the clue is in the result for me.

 

[Deadly Danson]

I see Naylor has just blatantly copied my post for his Athletic article . He sounds as frustrated as us: "At Brentford on Friday, the Italian’s Brighton slipped back into a version of Potter’s irritating Brighton."

 

[Mo Gosfield]

RDZ has inherited a lightweight squad with fragile levels of confidence. We lived through this in the Potter era. Take last season. Flying start. Eleven games without a win. Rally over Xmas and New Year. Six straight defeats. Strong finish...one defeat in nine. All over the place. Manager changing tactics and formation at the drop of a hat. One minute didn't know when the next goal was coming. Next minute outplaying CL contenders.
We have sold three of our physically strongest players in Burn, Bissouma and Cucurella and were clearly second best in this department v Spurs. They were bigger than us. They leant on us. They pushed us, pulled us around, like a bigger boxer continually leaning on a smaller opponent and sapping his strength. Dier nudged Welbeck all game and knocked him off his stride. Last night, Brentford were game clever. They niggled as well. Used wasting tactics. Slowed it down. One big, strong, effective forward made the difference.
We are too pretty as a side. We don't have a rough enough edge. When we get in front our confidence is sky high. When we trail, we don't have the tools to recover. We have key players who are inconsistent. Trossard is the prime example. Either full of confidence and playing out his skin at Anfield or letting his levels drop alarmingly in the following two games. Welbeck is lightweight as well. Good positional sense but doesn't finish. A good support player for a direct striker. Put Toney in our team...world of difference. Welbeck doesn't work the back four like a Toney or a Mitrovic. We sold our only proven PL striker.
If you are going to play out from the back, the fulcrum is the keeper. He has to be assured and confident. Sanchez scares the pants off me. Too laid back. Too casual at times. Before long he will give a goal away. Its coming. Big man who flaps at and misses too many crosses. I know its his character but he needs to speed up his game. Brilliant at times, scary at others.
RDZ has to get us playing at a quicker tempo. Last two games have been too slow. Pace is a weapon. We have to use Mitoma and Lamptey more. He needs 8 points from his first 8 games, up to the WC, to suggest he has steadied the ship. Looking forward, not sure he is going to get them. Tuesday is must win but on the evidence of last night looks shaky. City a write off. Chelsea will be full of vitriol and a narrow defeat. Just leaves Wolves and Villa, both desperate for points. Bottom half, here we come.

 

[keaton]

Didn't we tail off at this point last season?
And in the last two games we've been a lot better than we were against Fulham this season

 

[Swansman]

Depends on how you see it and what you mean with "pre-April".
Brighton 2020/21 was a better football team than Brighton 2021/22, despite finishing 16th compared to the 9th place last season.

It is unlikely that any Brighton side will ever be as good as the 2020/21 side, which should have - in normal circumstances - finished top 5.
If we're talking just last season, when the football was pretty meh for the most part until December, I think the team is currently doing better than that. But it doesn't always translate into results: Brighton probably played better in the 2-0-loss yesterday than the 0-1 win in the same fixture last season. There's a fair bit of randomness in football unless you have a number of robot-players who (almost) always turn up and make things happen. This is what makes the sport great: it makes it worth watching that Big Six vs Non-League side in the FA Cup. But obviously it also makes the game annoying: you can be shite and get three 1-0 victories and you can be awesome and lose 3-0.

Generally speaking, as long as you keep creating a similar number of chances as the opposition, you'll be fine (9th place fine or 16th place fine, small margins) and I don't think there's any real reason to worry for now - performance wise all three games have been ok.

 

[Farehamseagull]

Do you mean 30th August Potter? Looked pretty reminiscent of that last night to be honest.

 

[raymondo]

We are back to where we were for 80% of GPs time here. A goal scoring striker light still

It's still the elephant in the stadium, for sure

 

[chickens]

Completely agree with the OP regarding how we appear, lots of mitigating circumstances though.

Think RDZ has tried to let the team get on with things, given that he walked through the door with us in 4th, but it leaves the team in the unenviable position of not being one thing or the other, neither Potter’s team, nor RDZs.

I suspect the performance yesterday may prompt a rethink and see a faster transition to an RDZ style of play, which in turn may mean an even worse run of results in the short term until everyone in the team “gets it” and is singing from the same hymn sheet.

A trip down the table was always likely as the season went on. Not panicking yet, may start if we’re still playing like this in the 24/25 season though.

 

[raymondo]

Didn't we tail off at this point last season?
And in the last two games we've been a lot better than we were against Fulham this season

This or thereabouts, and there's no guarantee it wouldn't be happening again if Potter was still at the helm. For me, without one or two reliable scorers in the squad, the dead periods will always happen, as the fluid confident attacking play that results in goals from midfield just won't happen consistently enough.

 

[brighton_tom]

Last night wasnt great, we all hate losing, but performance wise it was far from terrible. With small margins things could have been very different. It just wasnt our night, one i would describe at frustrating more than anything else. Brentford's keeper played a blinder, and the ref bought Toney dive after the slightest touch from Veltman. Caicedo's shot could easily have gone in, as could Solly's header, and on another day Welbeck scores his headed chance. It's fine but frustrating margins. Add to that the ridiculous time wasting and rolling about on the floor from Brentford player to slow the game down, its no wonder the game felt like it needed more intensity.

Use the frustration to play with more intensity next time. And in January we must go looking for that new striker. I get we cant or are reluctant to splash £30-40m on a star striker, and that a 20+ goal a season striker is a myth at our level, but right now we dont even have a 10-15 goal a season striker, and as a team with top half ambitions that is bonkers.

 

[herecomesaregular]

Felt it at the time, posted it somewhere, Potter recognised the Albion were at the peak and this was the best he'd look so jumped at the chance of Chelsea's offer. Great timing, as we revert to type.

 

[e77]

Broadly agree but it is far from definite that under Potter we would have broken down a Tottenham team with 11 men behind the ball and we did lose at Fulham with him. Funnily enough I would have fancied him to make the adjustments to keep hold of a two goal lead at Anfield.

It is early days though.

 

[Eeyore]

Trossard was remonstrating about something last night. It seemed not all was well.

Anyway,

There is a something to consider here. A coach who takes over a winning team has it hard. The only way is down. I did expect a downturn in results whether Potter stayed or not. It will get worse before it gets better.

But the start is there as a cushion and none of the last three results would have been a shock under Potter. RDZ needs time. Thankfully the club understand that. I'm not worried at all. This team isn't strong enough for the top six anyway.

Anyway. It is what it is. I enjoyed last night. It was like a rough game of chess. RDZ just needs folk to know he' supported. I don't think his skin is as thick as Potter's.

 

[Weststander]

Potter struggled for 28 months with hapless scorers, there were incredibly long spells at home where we couldn't buy a win, on repeat.

The turning point was April 2022 at The Emirates, the CM trio of Caicedo, Bissouma and Mwepu changed everything. Swap Mac Allister for Bissouma. Pace, power, swarming over the opposition. Arteta, Rangnick, Rodgers, Howe, Moyes couldn't live with it.

He found a solution, with a packed CM of pace.

I hope RDZ isn't dogmatic with a very long-term different solution, taking a lot of defeats and home draws along the journey. The EPL is unforgiving, weaknesses seized upon.

Separately, at some stage shirley Bloom will land a striker or two.

 

[OzMike]

Potter now has strikers who are scoring goals for Chelsea.
This was and is always the missing peice of the puzzle.

 

[Frankworthington]

Potter struggled for 28 months with hapless scorers, there were incredibly long spells at home where we couldn't buy a win, on repeat.

The turning point was April 2022 at The Emirates, the CM trio of Caicedo, Bissouma and Mwepu changed everything. Swap Mac Allister for Bissouma. Pace, power, swarming over the opposition. Arteta, Rangnick, Rodgers, Howe, Moyes couldn't live with it.

He found a solution, with a packed CM of pace.

I hope RDZ isn't dogmatic with a very long-term different solution, taking a lot of defeats and home draws along the journey. The EPL is unforgiving, weaknesses seized upon.

Separately, at some stage shirley Bloom will land a striker or two.

I somehow doubt we will be signing any strikers in the foreseeable future.
I cannot find the post but Barber told one supporter we are well stocked in that department!
We are doomed!!