"Never make a substitution while defending a corner"
"But I'm bringing on Shane Duffy"
"Crack on sunshine, don't let me stop you".
"But I'm bringing on Shane Duffy"
"Crack on sunshine, don't let me stop you".
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[Albion] Potterball, your opinions so far?
- Thread starter whosthedaddy
- Start date
Bold Seagull
strong and stable with me, or...
I was a little bit annoyed another player cleared it preventing Duffy from making a halfway line headed clearance 10 secs after being put on by El Genio.
It is dynamic, it is bold and it is exciting. Watch Maupay's goal again. Its the 80th minute of a game away at Arsenal, we're drawing 1-1, a fine result in itself. Mooy swings the ball into the box and Maupay scores. But look behind Maupay. Who's waiting in the centre of the box for a higher cross? - its the left back, Dan Burn. What the hell is he doing there? Sowing confusion in the mind of Luiz, who can't decide who to mark and is just too late getting across to Maupay. Look behind Burn, who's waiting for at the back of the box for a deeper cross? - its the right back, Steven Alzate, occupying another defender. Meanwhile Davy Propper is in space behind the penalty spot waiting for a cut-back, who draws the defender that was originally marking Maupay, and Trossard is sprinting across Mooy to the byline bringing two defenders with him and giving space for the low cross.
That's six players, including Mooy and both full-backs, inside the box in the 80th minute away at Arsenal in a game we're drawing. That's six players demonstrating that any defence can be pulled apart by sheer numbers of attackers with fluid movement. That's so bold, that's so brave, that's so very very good to watch.
Yeah, I think Potterball is OK
Excellent post. When we got the winner v Everton - 93rd minute and where - despite the inevitable protests from @JRG I am CONVINCED Chris would have has us solidly holding on for a well-deserved point against a 'big club' ('these are a good team' etc), we had 5 players in their penalty area.
pasty
A different kind of pasty
Excluding the Norwich and Villa games as we didn't play them last season, we are 4 points better off (15 to 11) for the matches we have played this season against the same matches last season.
For that reason, I'm in.
For that reason, I'm in.
He certainly headed the ball size chunk of fresh air up to halfway.
I think it was Webster that ruined our fun, by meekly nodding the ball 15 yards.
Greg Bobkin
Silver Seagull
- May 22, 2012
- 16,034
Exactly my thoughts about the game last night. Under CH, we might easily have gone 1-0 up, but from there the players would be hanging on, going into their shells until the equaliser and then, quite possibly, a second goal for Arsenal. Or just sneaking a point.
At no point last night did I think the team wanted to settle for a point – and what impressed me more than anything was the patience and lack of panic to go and get the winner. They seemed to just carry on playing the game they play, almost knowing they'd get a chance.
And they did
Hughton was great for the Albion; Potter could be even greater.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
We would have been hanging on from the moment we went 1-0. It’s just a totally different philosophy and I railed for most of last season about it so make no apology for being delighted that GP is now in charge. I go to football to be entertained, it’s not my money on the line so not my problem if it results in us going down. #I’malrightJack
CH is an Albion legend but he had taken us as far as he could and had a season to prove that wasn’t the case. We went backwards once opposition managers worked us out.
Change at Barnham
Well-known member
I'm amazed that the national media keep going on about Eddie Howe, Chris Wilder and Sean Dyche as promising up and coming English coaches but Graham Potter hardly gets a mention. Incredible.
Exactly my thoughts about the game last night. Under CH, we might easily have gone 1-0 up, but from there the players would be hanging on, going into their shells until the equaliser and then, quite possibly, a second goal for Arsenal. Or just sneaking a point.
At no point last night did I think the team wanted to settle for a point – and what impressed me more than anything was the patience and lack of panic to go and get the winner. They seemed to just carry on playing the game they play, almost knowing they'd get a chance.
And they did
Hughton was great for the Albion; Potter could be even greater.
I feel the difference in the outcome was the opponent not the way GraPott played it. It could have just as easily backfired if we were playing a Leicester, Liverpool, Man City or Man U.
darkwolf666
Well-known member
I think it's what's know as being under the radar, as as Brighton fan I'm used to it, you should be too
In terms of coverage we come after the funny, "and finally" story on the news ..
Hey [MENTION=206]Marshy[/MENTION] how the flick do I get targeted as being negative, when I haven't been all morning, while shite like that /\ gets written.
'Quality of the opponent'
'Quality of the opponent'
pastafarian
Well-known member
Breath of fresh air
Won't be like that by the end of the season......................
banjo
GOSBTS
Not bad, not bad at all.
Justice
Dangerous Idiot
Liked the way he changed tactics again to null the Arsenal fight back mid second half. We started to create chances again very impressive work.
dingodan
New member
- Feb 16, 2011
- 10,080
That is exactly right, and what is great is that it is working, and we are getting more and more comfortable at it. I was blown away at how well and how often we did this against Liverpool the other day, and again at Arsenal last night. A few games in I was thinking that this way of playing was going to cost us at some point, and maybe we will ship the odd goal here and there because of it, but it gives us so much good central possession when we get it right and we seem to be getting it right more and more as time goes on.
There was a moment last night where Alzate was in the corner being closed down, but he found a tight pass out, and within seconds we were at the halfway line and one good pass away from getting through on goal, it was outstanding. Best of all, it's the kind of football which, when you get it right, looks absolutely beautiful. If you hoof the ball away, "anywhere will do" style then you turn over possession and the pressure comes again, but if you are careful and find the right passes you retain possession, you beat the press and win the space left behind by the pressing players.
It's absolutely brilliant that we are trying to play this way, and even more brilliant that we are getting really good at it.
Icy Gull
Back on the rollercoaster
- Jul 5, 2003
- 72,015
I think we have all accepted that the occasional whupping is on the cards with the way we play. You can’t take the game to top teams without leaving yourself exposed to their fleet footed and quick thinking players.
Embrace the way we are playing rather than worry about how we might get beat
Extract from the match report in the Guardian :
Brighton, whose reinvention under Graham Potter does present some evidence that outstanding coaching can transform a side, popped the ball about confidently and methodically, probing for openings while keeping Arsenal at arm’s length.
Brighton, whose reinvention under Graham Potter does present some evidence that outstanding coaching can transform a side, popped the ball about confidently and methodically, probing for openings while keeping Arsenal at arm’s length.
Another good (mostly - couple of obvious mistakes aside) view - Independent report focusing on GPott and also hitting the nail on the head re Connolly/Maupay .
As Brighton players made their way towards the tunnel having been serenaded by their appreciative fans for an exemplary display at the Emirates, they found themselves walking into another set of applause. This one, though, was from the home support.
Some Arsenal fans had left when Neal Maupay re-established the visitors lead in the 80th minute. Many more followed when 90 ticked over and the 1-2 beaming back at them off the scoreboard gained permanency with every second of additional time.
But for those that stayed – some to boo, others to just stand in disbelief – there came recognition of an organised side deserving of victory. Dare it be said, a side who exhibited qualities recognisable to many in red.
It feels only right to start by talking about Graham Potter. Here was his second 2-1 win at this ground as a manager, the first coming back in February 2018 when he brought Ostersunds FK to north London in the round of 32 of the Europa League.
The result itself was negligible – Arsenal’s victory in the first leg meant they took the tie 4-2 on aggregate – and it would be a reach of Inspector Gadget proportions to suggest Potter took cues from that previous Thursday night to mastermind this success.
But it all ties in – the experiences, the learnings, the successes and failures – to what Brighton are right now under Potter. A side who have spent the last two seasons surviving relegation scares now looks capable of breaking into the top half of the table. That might sound a tad melodramatic, but not when you evaluate how this result was achieved beyond the visitors not just shaving possession [51 per cent] but also becoming the latest team to out-shoot Arsenal [12 to 20].
During his time at Ostersunds the club developed a “culture academy” where players and staff [Potter included] would perform in front of an audience – sing, dance, act, the lot. The vulnerability of the participants bred empathy and thus greater team spirit. However the biggest takeaway was how to develop comfort in uncomfortable situation. Beyond any am-dram productions on the south coast, that quality was most evident in how Arsenal were bested.
Brighton were regimented from front to back, each player assured in his role and vigilant when without the ball. But they also pressed high and when they attacked they did so through the middle: playing out from their centre-backs and into an established midfield four who trusted each other’s touch and awareness.
They were occasions when, for example, Lewis Dunk failed to thread his passes well enough and Pascal Gross lost sight of the grand plan and, subsequently, the ball. Yet at no point did they waiver as a collective or as individuals. The front two of Maupay and Aaron Connolly either came short or spread wide to provide extra passing lanes when neither full back could get forward.
In return, the service to the front two was high percentage and the lack of speculative hoofs over the top was evidenced by the fact that no Brighton player was caught offside during the entire match. Ultimately, there was no need to when they were able to exploit the space between Arsenal’s midfield and defence. Davy Propper encapsulated this: 30 of his 36 successful passes came in the opposition’s half.
Even the counter-attacks were measured. Any opportunity to break was taken, but if the momentum fizzled out then there was immediate reassessment of the situation. The player in possession, whether running out of snappy options or having to stutter because of a slightly off pass, would check back to settle on making use of territory instead. It spoke of an inherent belief they were good enough to create further chances.
“It isn’t so easy to do what we did,” stated a satisfied Potter carrying the demeanour of a PE teacher as he sat in the Emirates press conference room in his tracksuit, albeit one who doubles up with A-Level Biology on the side. “But we had to do it well and, whilst we weren’t perfect, we showed enough quality and character to get the win.”
He’s absolutely right, too. Brighton could, maybe even should, have been better. And that should excite their fans.
The most obvious area for improvement is up front, but that is more to do with understanding than personnel. Maupay, the match-winner, and Connolly, whose presence in the box facilitated Andy Webster’s opener, spent as much time chastising one another as they did combining.
Both were guilty of getting into key positions and either choosing the wrong option or not going for the right one early enough. There appears to be a natural rivalry between the two – the sort all good strike partnerships thrive on. That’ll only flourish when they actually click.
What makes this victory all the more impressive is that it comes off the back of three successive defeats. If there was a time for Brighton and Potter to wonder if they needed to change their ways, it was in this period as they dropped from eighth to 16th,starting Thursday just one point above the relegation zone.
But across the 3-1 at Old Trafford, 0-2 at home to Leicester City and Sunday’s 2-1 against Liverpool there was enough beyond the scoreline to maintain their methods on Thursday to now give them a four-point cushion. And perhaps this was the most telling difference between the two sides even before Thursday night.
Trust in the process means Brighton can draw strength even in defeat. For Arsenal, listless and steadily losing its identity under Unai Emery and now Freddie Ljungberg, there is nothing but misery.
As Brighton players made their way towards the tunnel having been serenaded by their appreciative fans for an exemplary display at the Emirates, they found themselves walking into another set of applause. This one, though, was from the home support.
Some Arsenal fans had left when Neal Maupay re-established the visitors lead in the 80th minute. Many more followed when 90 ticked over and the 1-2 beaming back at them off the scoreboard gained permanency with every second of additional time.
But for those that stayed – some to boo, others to just stand in disbelief – there came recognition of an organised side deserving of victory. Dare it be said, a side who exhibited qualities recognisable to many in red.
It feels only right to start by talking about Graham Potter. Here was his second 2-1 win at this ground as a manager, the first coming back in February 2018 when he brought Ostersunds FK to north London in the round of 32 of the Europa League.
The result itself was negligible – Arsenal’s victory in the first leg meant they took the tie 4-2 on aggregate – and it would be a reach of Inspector Gadget proportions to suggest Potter took cues from that previous Thursday night to mastermind this success.
But it all ties in – the experiences, the learnings, the successes and failures – to what Brighton are right now under Potter. A side who have spent the last two seasons surviving relegation scares now looks capable of breaking into the top half of the table. That might sound a tad melodramatic, but not when you evaluate how this result was achieved beyond the visitors not just shaving possession [51 per cent] but also becoming the latest team to out-shoot Arsenal [12 to 20].
During his time at Ostersunds the club developed a “culture academy” where players and staff [Potter included] would perform in front of an audience – sing, dance, act, the lot. The vulnerability of the participants bred empathy and thus greater team spirit. However the biggest takeaway was how to develop comfort in uncomfortable situation. Beyond any am-dram productions on the south coast, that quality was most evident in how Arsenal were bested.
Brighton were regimented from front to back, each player assured in his role and vigilant when without the ball. But they also pressed high and when they attacked they did so through the middle: playing out from their centre-backs and into an established midfield four who trusted each other’s touch and awareness.
They were occasions when, for example, Lewis Dunk failed to thread his passes well enough and Pascal Gross lost sight of the grand plan and, subsequently, the ball. Yet at no point did they waiver as a collective or as individuals. The front two of Maupay and Aaron Connolly either came short or spread wide to provide extra passing lanes when neither full back could get forward.
In return, the service to the front two was high percentage and the lack of speculative hoofs over the top was evidenced by the fact that no Brighton player was caught offside during the entire match. Ultimately, there was no need to when they were able to exploit the space between Arsenal’s midfield and defence. Davy Propper encapsulated this: 30 of his 36 successful passes came in the opposition’s half.
Even the counter-attacks were measured. Any opportunity to break was taken, but if the momentum fizzled out then there was immediate reassessment of the situation. The player in possession, whether running out of snappy options or having to stutter because of a slightly off pass, would check back to settle on making use of territory instead. It spoke of an inherent belief they were good enough to create further chances.
“It isn’t so easy to do what we did,” stated a satisfied Potter carrying the demeanour of a PE teacher as he sat in the Emirates press conference room in his tracksuit, albeit one who doubles up with A-Level Biology on the side. “But we had to do it well and, whilst we weren’t perfect, we showed enough quality and character to get the win.”
He’s absolutely right, too. Brighton could, maybe even should, have been better. And that should excite their fans.
The most obvious area for improvement is up front, but that is more to do with understanding than personnel. Maupay, the match-winner, and Connolly, whose presence in the box facilitated Andy Webster’s opener, spent as much time chastising one another as they did combining.
Both were guilty of getting into key positions and either choosing the wrong option or not going for the right one early enough. There appears to be a natural rivalry between the two – the sort all good strike partnerships thrive on. That’ll only flourish when they actually click.
What makes this victory all the more impressive is that it comes off the back of three successive defeats. If there was a time for Brighton and Potter to wonder if they needed to change their ways, it was in this period as they dropped from eighth to 16th,starting Thursday just one point above the relegation zone.
But across the 3-1 at Old Trafford, 0-2 at home to Leicester City and Sunday’s 2-1 against Liverpool there was enough beyond the scoreline to maintain their methods on Thursday to now give them a four-point cushion. And perhaps this was the most telling difference between the two sides even before Thursday night.
Trust in the process means Brighton can draw strength even in defeat. For Arsenal, listless and steadily losing its identity under Unai Emery and now Freddie Ljungberg, there is nothing but misery.
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