[Albion] Player Ratings Brighton - Leicester

[Seasidesage]

Ryan 8.5 - Rightly MOM made a number of very good saves especially from Vardy.

Burn 7 - Did pretty well. No threat going forward, but defended well.
Duffy 5 - Poor. Missed a good chance and was exposed time and time again by the pace of Leicester
Webster 5.5 - Some good things but allowing himself to get in a foot race with Vardy time and time again was foolish and showed his inexperience at this level.
Montoya 6 - Did ok, but doesn't offer a great deal either defensively or in attack, but stuck at it.

March 5 - One of Solly's frustrating performances. Gets into good positions but delivery is not good enough.
Stephens 7 - Played well in the main but culpable for their 1st goal with a poor lay off and choosing not to shoot.
Pröpper 5.5 - Did OK in the main but hugely at fault for their 2nd goal with a casual lay off.

Trossard 5 - Was he fit? Worst performance since he arrived.
Maupay 6 - I cannot make my mind up on him. Makes some good runs but for me not a CF and needs some experienced help
Mooy 7.5 - Neat and tidy. Did a lot of decent stuff in a midfield that collectively did pretty well in the main.

Subs

Bissouma 5 - Going backwards for me. I thought he was naive but had some ability last season. I accept he's been injured but he appears to have learned nothing in the last 12 months.

 

[Milano]

We lack players who are decisive, Trossard is, Connolly is, Gross is, Murray is. That’s it. The rest look shot shy and dare I say it scared.

6 is average

Ryan - 8 - best game of the season, MOTM.
Montoya - 6 - he did OK but has to cross the flipping ball when has the chance.
Duffy - 4 - Woeful. Doesn’t want the ball, first half when Ryan passed to him and he tried to pass straight back was like Sunday league. This was his chance and he hasn’t taken it. Will be on the bench at Anfield. If we stay up and Potter stays then he’s finished at this club. Shame.
Webster - 6 - Moved to the left CB because Duffy can’t play there. Good to have him back, made one great run. Have to remember he’s played less than 10 EPL matches. I’ve watched the penalty 10 times, he hardly touches Gray.
Burn - 6 - He is not a LB, can someone print that out and stick it on Potter’s office wall please? Worked very hard. I like him.

Stephens - 5 - Given the armband but shocking first half when he passed up the chance to shoot, really poor that. Improved 2nd half but yet more negativity led to their 1st. He’s gone backwards the last 2-3 games.
Propper - 6 - Marked down 1 point for that shocking mistake which ultimately killed the game, apart from that he was the best of midfield bunch.
Mooy - 6 - Worked VERY hard, tackled well and neat and tidy. He’s not going to win or change games on his own though. Marked down 1 point for not putting that corner in when Evans was off the pitch, wound me right up.
March - 3 - Where to start? I’m gutted because I’ve always liked Solly but enough is enough. Zero confidence, zero fight, zero drive. SHITE quite frankly. From early on when he let their player go (hit the post) to not taking anyone on, passing the buck to Burn, never making a tackle, awful flick to no one which led to their 1st, he tried the flick because he was trying to get rid. Finished. That was his first start under Potter, I’d be amazed if he gets another.

Trossard - 5 - Oh dear. Crash landing back to earth. He had no movement to link with though. Has earned some leeway.
Maupay - 6 - Worked very hard but he is not a lone striker, needs a foil/help, missed Connolly.

Subs - Can’t be arsed.

On another note is it EVER going to stop raining at the Amex?

 

[Triggaaar]

Kudos to Potter, we were much better second half but undone by stupid mistakes and naivety.

I disagree. Potter did fine offensively, but defensively he lost us the game.

For Leicester's first goal, we had zero outfield players in our own half, and Montoya was the only one within 10 yards of our half. Against a fast counter attacking Leicester. Seriously, WTF was he thinking?

And let's not pretend that was a one off, there were other times when Leicester (predictably) countered at speed, and our defence was miles from goal, resulting in more chances for Leicester.

Potter is clearly a good manager, but how can he get something so basic so wrong?

 

[Mo Gosfield]

We lack players who are decisive, Trossard is, Connolly is, Gross is, Murray is. That’s it. The rest look shot shy and dare I say it scared.

6 is average

Ryan - 8 - best game of the season, MOTM.
Montoya - 6 - he did OK but has to cross the flipping ball when has the chance.
Duffy - 4 - Woeful. Doesn’t want the ball, first half when Ryan passed to him and he tried to pass straight back was like Sunday league. This was his chance and he hasn’t taken it. Will be on the bench at Anfield. If we stay up and Potter stays then he’s finished at this club. Shame.
Webster - 6 - Moved to the left CB because Duffy can’t play there. Good to have him back, made one great run. Have to remember he’s played less than 10 EPL matches. I’ve watched the penalty 10 times, he hardly touches Gray.
Burn - 6 - He is not a LB, can someone print that out and stick it on Potter’s office wall please? Worked very hard. I like him.

Stephens - 5 - Given the armband but shocking first half when he passed up the chance to shoot, really poor that. Improved 2nd half but yet more negativity led to their 1st. He’s gone backwards the last 2-3 games.
Propper - 6 - Marked down 1 point for that shocking mistake which ultimately killed the game, apart from that he was the best of midfield bunch.
Mooy - 6 - Worked VERY hard, tackled well and neat and tidy. He’s not going to win or change games on his own though. Marked down 1 point for not putting that corner in when Evans was off the pitch, wound me right up.
March - 3 - Where to start? I’m gutted because I’ve always liked Solly but enough is enough. Zero confidence, zero fight, zero drive. SHITE quite frankly. From early on when he let their player go (hit the post) to not taking anyone on, passing the buck to Burn, never making a tackle, awful flick to no one which led to their 1st, he tried the flick because he was trying to get rid. Finished. That was his first start under Potter, I’d be amazed if he gets another.

Trossard - 5 - Oh dear. Crash landing back to earth. He had no movement to link with though. Has earned some leeway.
Maupay - 6 - Worked very hard but he is not a lone striker, needs a foil/help, missed Connolly.

Subs - Can’t be arsed.

On another note is it EVER going to stop raining at the Amex?

Agree with most of that.
Montoya is ok but we need better and Bernardo ( when fit ) has to come in for Burn. Duffy is just too immobile and keeps missing too many straightforward headed chances. Webster, for all his rampaging forward has a poor first touch, which keeps costing us. We have to look at bringing White in, alongside Dunk. Lack of creativity and goals from midfield is an ongoing issue. Stephens didn't have the confidence to shoot and played a terrible ball to March who effectively set them up for the first goal. Trossard wasn't fit and lacked his usual edge. March isn't good enough at this level and we desperately miss a fit Izquierdo. Another striker paramount in January.
Our best chance of scoring is set pieces and we had March taking free kicks! Potter has to think through the balance between defence and attack. At times it is too gung ho and the last two games have seen us being picked off too easily. He needs to drill simplicity into this side. Too much overplaying from players who aren't as good as they think they are. Propper's extravagant flick on the edge of his own area was ridiculous. Saturday turned on fine margins. We have to play the percentages better.

 

[JBizzle]

First things first, I think it's worth recognising a couple of things against a very strong Leicester side, who absolutely dominated the first half:

1. We had 3 players out today that would usually start (Alzate, Connelly and Dunk) which is one from each of our main lines - Far from ideal;
2. Dunk notably improves our defense and the lack of his leadership and control at the back was sorely missed;
3. I genuinely don't think we were bad at all. We were weakened by injury and suspension and the cover was March, Duffy and Mooy - All of whom haven't seen much action this season.

That said:

Ryan 8 - Clear MotM for me. Some fine saves

Montoya 6 - Decent but not spectacular
Duffy 6 - Looked less than comfortable and clearly isn't used to being used in this system
Webster 6 - Looked rushed back and a bit rusty. Will improve
Burn 6.5 - Our best defender but not our best performance defensively

Defense Overall 6 - Lacked leadership and looked a bit disorganised without Dunk but kept Leicester at bay for a long while until we finally cracked.

Stephens 7 - Repeatedly won the ball in midfield and covered well enough but didn't have much of an outlet
Propper 6 - Tried hard but looked less comfortable on the ball than usual and gave the ball away in dangerous positions a couple of times
Mooy 6.5 - Decent but not one of his best games

Midfield Overall - 6.5 Did well for most of the match but the lack of transition from defense to attack was disappointing today

Trossard 5.5 - Looked miles away from his scintillating cameos but didn't have many options in front of him either
March 5 - Hadn't played since September and you could tell. Lacked confidence and final ball
Maupay 5.5 - Did what he could but never looked like scoring and I don't think he had much help

Forwards Overall 5.5 - Lots of graft, but very little craft. We seriously missed Connelly and Gross today.

 

[Machiavelli]

Well, at least one of them is on loan at Leeds. 3CBs also need two good wingbacks protecting them. Montoya isn't great defensively and March had a stinker yesterday. Bernardo would be a much better option but is injured. Potter pbviously doesn't fancy Bong. In fact, tellingly, the two players most villified on NSC last season, Bong and Jahanbaksh don't seem to be in his plans at all.

A flat back 4 of Montoya, Duffy, Webster, Burn would not have been any better yesterday, and could even have been worse. A back "5" of New Right Wing Back, Webster, Dunk, White or Burn, Bernardo looks decent but we'll have to wait a couple of windows.

Dunk will be back for Liverpool and I'd be tempted to play Alzate at LWB and replace Duffy with Dunk. This allows Mooy to keep his place.

Ryan was our best player yesterday. As I said on the match thread we lost every individual battle out there with Leicester having more pace, better application of strength and a much better first touch on a greasy surface.

Agree with all this, especially about Leicester who are quality and, what really stood out for me, was that their players were all outstanding athletes: rapid, ability to change direction, fitness levels, etc. Their pressing was brilliant, they swarmed us at times. It's all triggered by Vardy who is something else for his age; if anything, he's getting better as an athlete.

 

[amexer]

Appreciate comments about Propper for second goal but what on earth was Ryan doing passing to him just outside area when he had a man on him.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

To Post 107 the average scores are:

Ryan: 7.98 MoTM
Burn: 6.06
Duffy: 5.24
Webster: 5.56
Montoya: 5.92
March: 5.04
Stephens: 6.08
Propper: 6.16
Mooy: 6.90
Trossard: 5.34
Maupay: 5.79

Bissouma: 5.00
Schelotto: 5.38


In rank order:

1. Ryan: 7.98
2. Mooy: 6.90
3. Propper: 6.16
4. Stephens: 6.08
5. Burn: 6.06
6. Montoya:5.92
7. Maupay: 5.79
8. Webster: 5.56
9. Schelotto: 5.38
10. Trossard: 5.34
11. Duffy: 5.24
12. March: 5.04
13. Bissouma 5.00

 

[DavidinSouthampton]

First things first, I think it's worth recognising a couple of things against a very strong Leicester side, who absolutely dominated the first half:

1. We had 3 players out today that would usually start (Alzate, Connelly and Dunk) which is one from each of our main lines - Far from ideal;
2. Dunk notably improves our defense and the lack of his leadership and control at the back was sorely missed;
3. I genuinely don't think we were bad at all. We were weakened by injury and suspension and the cover was March, Duffy and Mooy - All of whom haven't seen much action this season.

That said:

Ryan 8 - Clear MotM for me. Some fine saves

Montoya 6 - Decent but not spectacular
Duffy 6 - Looked less than comfortable and clearly isn't used to being used in this system
Webster 6 - Looked rushed back and a bit rusty. Will improve
Burn 6.5 - Our best defender but not our best performance defensively

Defense Overall 6 - Lacked leadership and looked a bit disorganised without Dunk but kept Leicester at bay for a long while until we finally cracked.

Stephens 7 - Repeatedly won the ball in midfield and covered well enough but didn't have much of an outlet
Propper 6 - Tried hard but looked less comfortable on the ball than usual and gave the ball away in dangerous positions a couple of times
Mooy 6.5 - Decent but not one of his best games

Midfield Overall - 6.5 Did well for most of the match but the lack of transition from defense to attack was disappointing today

Trossard 5.5 - Looked miles away from his scintillating cameos but didn't have many options in front of him either
March 5 - Hadn't played since September and you could tell. Lacked confidence and final ball
Maupay 5.5 - Did what he could but never looked like scoring and I don't think he had much help

Forwards Overall 5.5 - Lots of graft, but very little craft. We seriously missed Connelly and Gross today.

A very sensible and level-headed analysis!

 

[Withdean11]

Ryan - 8 MOM, kept us in the game.
Montoya - 5, one position we need to improve on. Not strong enough defensively, and too indecisive going forward.
Duffy - 5, doesn't look comfortable with our passing style.
Webster - 6, i like him, but he struggled with Vardy.
Burn - 6, got forward well.
March - 4, I'm sorry, I've been saying it for a while, but he is not good enough. His inability to beat a man and deliver a good ball holds us back.
Stephens - 5, not one of his better games, but he is a key player for us.
Propper - 6, had a decent game until his costly mistake
Mooy - 6, was okay. He can do better.
Muapay - 6, Good work rate, but needs to be more ruthless in final third
Trossard - 6, doesn't look 100% to me. Had a couple of moments where his quality showed, but not frequent enough.

 

[stingray]

Ryan 8
Montoya 4
Duffy 4
Webster 4
Burn 6
March 4
Stephens 6
Propper 6
Mooy 7
Maupay 5
Trossard 5

 

[ewe2]

Has our midfield got a goal in them.......?

 

[Weststander]

Has our midfield got a goal in them.......?

Didn’t Trossard score a few months back?

 

[Weststander]

I disagree. Potter did fine offensively, but defensively he lost us the game.

For Leicester's first goal, we had zero outfield players in our own half, and Montoya was the only one within 10 yards of our half. Against a fast counter attacking Leicester. Seriously, WTF was he thinking?

And let's not pretend that was a one off, there were other times when Leicester (predictably) countered at speed, and our defence was miles from goal, resulting in more chances for Leicester.

Potter is clearly a good manager, but how can he get something so basic so wrong?

Sadly, no one else seems to get that issue. My guess is because at the other end of the pitch, the way we’ve taken the top 6 clubs apart has been a thing of beauty.

 

[Hastings gull]

A game of two halves if ever there was one, first half we contained Leciester with some good fortune especially during the opening seventeen minuets when they hit the bar twice and Ryan made one fantastic finger tip save from Vardy, after that we contained then with our midfield sitting deep Propper Stevens and Mooy shielding the defence 0-0 half time was an achievement

Second half midfield was unleashed especially Mooy and Propper and we really pushed them but this left holes at the back and with their pace our defence was caught out on the break but we did have a right good go and although we lost at least it was not a Southampton 0-9 whopping and had we taken the lead in that first part of the second half their heads might have dropped and we might have shored up the defence.

Ryan 7

Montoya 6
Burn 7
Duffy 6
Webster 6

Propper 8
Stevens 8
Mooy 8

March 6
Trossard 6

Maupa 7

Fully agree with your evaluation -spot on in my humble opinion.

 

[Triggaaar]

Sadly, no one else seems to get that issue. My guess is because at the other end of the pitch, the way we’ve taken the top 6 clubs apart has been a thing of beauty.

I understand the desire to keep some defenders high up the pitch in order to keep the ball that end if the opponents try to clear it, bit surely there's a middle ground, where we can try and play attacking football, but have a couple of players back? If Potter doesn't want that, he needs faster defenders.

 

[blue-shifted]

I understand the desire to keep some defenders high up the pitch in order to keep the ball that end if the opponents try to clear it, bit surely there's a middle ground, where we can try and play attacking football, but have a couple of players back? If Potter doesn't want that, he needs faster defenders.

Well one of the faster defenders was suspended and will be back for the next game.

The thing about pressing your opponents is that you need to commit to the idea as a team, no point just some of the team doing it or there will always be an out ball

 

[Wardy's twin]

people are talking about the defence when the real problem was that when we 'attacked' (not sure IF i could use that word truthfully to describe it) we were hesitant and just passed the ball to the next player until we lost it, had we turned that into something more effective then conceding 2 goals might not have happened i.e. the corner might not have ended with them getting possession and we would not have been chasing the game. of the defence Duffy was poor but don't see Burn or Webster in that category. Burn had to make up for Solly being poor.

 

[Weststander]

Well one of the faster defenders was suspended and will be back for the next game.

The thing about pressing your opponents is that you need to commit to the idea as a team, no point just some of the team doing it or there will always be an out ball

Isn’t it also about where you press the ball? If your entire outfield 10 are crunched up to the centre line and in the opposition half for the bulk of a match, by the law of averages, the opposition are going to win their fair share of the ball in the course of 90 minutes. If they have any quality about them, they’ll turn that ‘transition’ into swift counter attacks and goals. Bread n Butter to the top 7 teams.

I’m pretty sure Sky’s analysts have looked in to how lesser teams get results against the best, and it always involves denying them space in behind.

I stand to be corrected

 

[Triggaaar]

The thing about pressing your opponents is that you need to commit to the idea as a team, no point just some of the team doing it or there will always be an out ball

Since when does pressing as a team mean you can't have a single player in your own half?