[Albion] Brighton & Hove Albion vs Burnley *** Official Match Thread ***

[Mackenzie]

I didn’t think our shape and tactics were particularly effective in the first half, it looked a bit clueless at times which is really unusual for our team under RDZ. Burnley played it well. The second half was much better and Burnley were hanging on at the end. I don’t think it was too harsh a result overall although we obviously finished off much the stronger.

It’s another point and from a losing position, but I can’t help but think that we’d be winning these games with a fuller squad.

 

[Flounce]

Your last sentence contradicts itself.

No it doesn’t, I can’t see how much of a deflection it took so hard to lay the blame on him but from the angles I saw it looks to me like he could possibly have done better. It did not look like a massive deflection

 

[keaton]

MOTD analysis - plenty of praise for Trafford's saves.

23 more starting changes for the Albion than any other EPL team this season, but Jenas reckons that we're "still a really good side".

We'd make more changes if we had less injuries and were having to play less youngsters.

On another note, it's not just the two midfielders we lost in the summer that's the issue. We lost Bissouma the year before and Mwepu during last season as well, with Moder only just coming back as well. That's an awful lot of succession planning to replace your midfield twice over. The best team in the world, Man City go to shit with one player out and in the paper today part of that was it was taking a while for Kovavic and Mines to settle, 2 of their 3 Cms they've been able to spend a lot on who have just come from other PL clubs

 

[birthofanorange]

You’re mixing up two things — 1. where we are as a football club, given our history (answer: extremely happy, obviously) and 2. how we feel dropping yet more points at home against a relegation side (answer: unhappy). This constant confusion between these two different things does my head in. It’s nothing to do with feeling entitled. It’s the fact that we still have very tough home games to come against Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Man Utd, Aston Villa, Chelsea, none of which I’m certain of winning. We can make jokes about Utd and Chelsea but they will be much harder games than Burnley, Sheff Utd and Fulham should have been. The fact is, we rely on beating the bottom sides to give us a cushion against the top sides. We’re not beating the bottom sides, and that’s a concern.

I'm not mixing up anything. In my post which you quoted, I clearly said that we are 'probably not' happy with the result yesterday, or indeed our recent Premier matches.
Indeed, the forthcoming run of matches you mention will most likely be harder than the previous three, but I'm positive we will pick up a few wins, despite the fact that on paper we would be likely to come away empty handed.
We have still lost just one match in the last ten games - I'm happy with that and the fact that we are only a couple of points adrift of 6th spot.
Given our injury worries, we have done/are doing remarkably well.
Edit: Make that one point adrift....of 5th spot. Even better, eh?

 

[Wardy's twin]

I'm not mixing up anything. In my post which you quoted, I clearly said that we are 'probably not' happy with the result yesterday, or indeed our recent Premier matches.
Indeed, the forthcoming run of matches you mention will most likely be harder than the previous three, but I'm positive we will pick up a few wins, despite the fact that on paper we would be likely to come away empty handed.
We have still lost just one match in the last ten games - I'm happy with that and the fact that we are only a couple of points adrift of 6th spot.
Given our injury worries, we have done/are doing remarkably well.
Edit: Make that one point adrift....of 5th spot. Even better, eh?

I don't disagree with what you are saying in that a run in Europe and still top 8 is a great achievement even more so given the injuries . It is in line with what I thought was a very good achievement.

BUT on the evidence of what I have seen with my own eyes we should have had wins against Fulham, SUFC and Burnley , probably a draw at Chelsea.

We are too slow in the build up, yes we create a lot but defences are packed by the time we come to shoot.

Also we don't seem to tackle very well , no one seems prepared to take a player out or if they do they have left it too long and its in or near our penalty box . Yesterday Burnley had two free runs at our defence one was close the other ended in the deflected goal.

One bright light from yesterday was Hinshelwood who showed how clever he was getting into great attacking positions.

 

[Seagull58]

To be clear:
You are unhappy with our current position (8th) and just 4 points from 4th, and we have qualified for the next stage in the Europa League......yes?

I am unhappy with the failure to beat Burnley and disappointed because we would have been higher in the table if we had done so. Same goes for the Sheffield United result. I'm delghted that we're doing so well in Europe.

 

[brighton_tom]

Missed the match yesterday. Why was Dunk taken off? Is that another injury?

 

[Stat Brother]

Missed the match yesterday. Why was Dunk taken off? Is that another injury?

Possibly cramping up - possibly not!!1

Happy to help.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

You’re mixing up two things — 1. where we are as a football club, given our history (answer: extremely happy, obviously) and 2. how we feel dropping yet more points at home against a relegation side (answer: unhappy). This constant confusion between these two different things does my head in. It’s nothing to do with feeling entitled. It’s the fact that we still have very tough home games to come against Arsenal, Tottenham, Man City, Man Utd, Aston Villa, Chelsea, none of which I’m certain of winning. We can make jokes about Utd and Chelsea but they will be much harder games than Burnley, Sheff Utd and Fulham should have been. The fact is, we rely on beating the bottom sides to give us a cushion against the top sides. We’re not beating the bottom sides, and that’s a concern.

@Giraffe Tracker thread says we are 7 points better off.
We are losing ground slightly on the Europe tracker but with injuries, it’s unsurprising.

We are beginning to sound like, we should be beating teams like ……..

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

@Giraffe Tracker thread says we are 7 points better off.
We are losing ground slightly on the Europe tracker but with injuries, it’s unsurprising.

We are beginning to sound like, we should be beating teams like ……..

We should be beating teans in the bottom 3 at home yes. I think I've said that every single season I've been supporting brighton, which is more than 40 now. I think everyone says that. So no 'beginning to sound like we should be beating teams like...', it's old as time.

 

[Seagull58]

@Giraffe Tracker thread says we are 7 points better off.
We are losing ground slightly on the Europe tracker but with injuries, it’s unsurprising.

We are beginning to sound like, we should be beating teams like ……..

12 out of 16 teams have beaten Burnley. 12 out of 16 teams have beaten Sheffield United. It's fair to say we should be beating them at home.

 

[Flounce]

We should be beating teans in the bottom 3 at home yes. I think I've said that every single season I've been supporting brighton, which is more than 40 now. I think everyone says that. So no 'beginning to sound like we should be beating teams like...', it's old as time.

We knew De Zerbi teams relied on scoring more than they concede from day 1 but not really playing until the second half and conceding soft goals with regular monotony, often two in quick succession is not a recipe for “we should be beating teams like…..” I do not begrudge Burnley their point yesterday. They had done their homework on us, had tricky players who occasionally turned our defenders inside out, defended well and bossed us in midfield in the first half. Frustrating as hell but it happens so often at home the fault lies with how we set up and start games. Losing 50/50 balls is getting f***ing annoying BUT these are great days as an Albion fan and there are excuses. I am bloody loving RDZ’s Albion, warts and all, and there are a few warts.

 

[GT49er]

To be clear:
You are unhappy with our current position (8th) and just 4 points from 4th, and we have qualified for the next stage in the Europa League......yes?

Yes? Clearly no.

 

[Thunder Bolt]

12 out of 16 teams have beaten Burnley. 12 out of 16 teams have beaten Sheffield United. It's fair to say we should be beating them at home.

Entitlement. Football doesn’t work like that which is why bookies make a fortune.

 

[GT49er]

We'd make more changes if we had less injuries and were having to play less youngsters.

Huh? So if RdZ could make even more changes, he would?

 

[portslade seagull]

Our build up in the 1st half was pedestrian/ lethargic at best. It improved in the 2nd half when younger players came on. A midfield including Dahoud and Lallana is just too slow

 

[zefarelly]

12 out of 16 teams have beaten Burnley. 12 out of 16 teams have beaten Sheffield United. It's fair to say we should be beating them at home.

Yes it is, but shit happens

Shit happens elswhere too . . . The 4 points we 'gave away' were donated by Liverpool and Manure. . .

 

[zefarelly]

Huh? So if RdZ could make even more changes, he would?

That's the way with jazz funk footy . . . There's a drop . . . Then 27 1/2 bars later a key change. Totally funkadelic

 

[keaton]

And without wanting to re-open the goalkeeper debate on this thread, its also my view that Sanchez was a far superior 'keeper compared to either of the options we have now.

Yet Chelsea have only conceded two less goals than us, playing far more defensive football and with two £100m centre mids for protection

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Now my attention switches to the UEL.

So excited

That game could be season-defining.