[Albion] Still keeping the faith with Potter?

[zefarelly]

Have had the faith from the start, and still do. . . . However, Hands up . . . . I was disappointed Aj wasn't in the squad, surprised Scholleto started, usual minor detail, because we dream out own scenarios . . . . I still have no idea how his head works, but he's doing a job, and just about succeeding in a scenario most would fail miserably. 8 points from achieving the goal for the season. I'm confident we'll achieve it.

 

[Stat Brother]

Agree completely Icy! The only briefly disappointing thing yesterday was the return of the negativity from 2pm with the reappearance of some posters who were very quick to damn him.

At least they were all gone by 5pm.




#LoyalSupporters.

 

[Stat Brother]

Wow! I totally lost faith in the last quarter of last season and I haven‘t lost it once during this season. I am struggling to remember when we have been totally outclassed all game,.

Too good to go down.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Wow! I totally lost faith in the last quarter of last season and I haven‘t lost it once during this season. I am struggling to remember when we have been totally outclassed all game, that happened a lot in the latter part of last season imo.

I was always confident we’d stay up last season, I can’t say I have felt that way this year, particularly since Christmas when at times we have been as poor (but in different ways) - largely defensively.

Saturday, was the first time we seemed more shape driven defensively, which provided a good foundation for the rest of the team.

The thing Potter has over Hughton in a abundance, is the substitutions and formation changes. CH was always a derivative of 4-5-1, (either 4-1-1 or 4-3-3 with the ball, 4-5-1 without).

Potter switches far more frequently and drastically which asks the opposition a more challenging question, and makes them think.


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[Guinness Boy]

Agree completely Icy! The only briefly disappointing thing yesterday was the return of the negativity from 2pm with the reappearance of some posters who were very quick to damn him.
None of us know for sure whether we’ll stay up but the football is better overall and like you and many others I’m enjoying the ride. Has anyone EVER guessed his team selection correctly? His subs generally do well and the potential for the club is definitely there. He carries himself very well and speaks honestly and with intelligence. He is building on the hard work of CH and long may it continue.

As one of those who was less than pleased with the initial team selection (something I also admitted in my match report) I'd say the second half more or less vindicated my comments. We looked a lot better with March on for Mooy and, by the end, the three players I was dubious about (Gross, Mooy and Schelotto) were all off. We wrapped it up with the younger and quicker players on the pitch.

Of course, football is a lot more nuanced than that. My objection to Mooy and Gross together is that they are very similar and neither has pace. One or the other starting is fine but not both. But what it did give us (and where I think I was wrong) was, on a hot day, the option to bring quicker players on fresh into the heat. However, that only works if you are level or winning most of the time, though as we saw, only one down was ok. We should have been a lot more than one down. Arteta was right to say they should have been out of sight.

However, we saw the advantage of Potter's mix and match tactics and the big gap in games has allowed us to grasp it. He's clearly been thinking about how best to make "his way" work and (perhaps without the added pressure of a home crowd) it finally did. If we can stay up it bodes well.

 

[Uh_huh_him]

The break has benefited us more than anyone else.
It stopped our bad run in it's tracks and has given Potter 3 months to reminder the players how he wants us to play.

Clearly the time has been well spent, I would say that we have looked one of the better prepared teams since the restart.
Our game was much less like a pre-season game than most of the others I have seen.

Very impressed with his changing of tactics mid-game, something we haven't seen a lot of over the past few seasons.
He's going to get it wrong sometimes, but he isn't afraid to try and affect the game, and has instilled that attitude into the players.

We have a very intelligent, tactically astute manager. He is also seems a fine human being.
I didn't think we would find someone I would hold in the same regard as Hughts, but I was wrong.

Very happy with the work he's doing and suspect he will be with us for a good while yet.

 

[AlbionBro]

The break has benefited us more than anyone else.
It stopped our bad run in it's tracks and has given Potter 3 months to reminder the players how he wants us to play.

Clearly the time has been well spent, I would say that we have looked one of the better prepared teams since the restart.
Our game was much less like a pre-season game than most of the others I have seen.

Very impressed with his changing of tactics mid-game, something we haven't seen a lot of over the past few seasons.
He's going to get it wrong sometimes, but he isn't afraid to try and affect the game, and has instilled that attitude into the players.

We have a very intelligent, tactically astute manager. He is also seems a fine human being.
I didn't think we would find someone I would hold in the same regard as Hughts, but I was wrong.

Very happy with the work he's doing and suspect he will be with us for a good while yet.

I agree I like Potters bottle. He has plenty of it. He had a tough time losing his father mid-season, and he still stayed focus.

The break has definitely helped him on a personal level. I hope we can frustrate the big guns on the horizon.

Who would have thought we could possible grab all 6 points off of Arsenal at the start of the season!

 

[dazzer6666]

I was always confident we’d stay up last season, I can’t say I have felt that way this year, particularly since Christmas when at times we have been as poor (but in different ways) - largely defensively.

Saturday, was the first time we seemed more shape driven defensively, which provided a good foundation for the rest of the team.

The thing Potter has over Hughton in a abundance, is the substitutions and formation changes. CH was always a derivative of 4-5-1, (either 4-1-1 or 4-3-3 with the ball, 4-5-1 without).

Potter switches far more frequently and drastically which asks the opposition a more challenging question, and makes them think.


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First time ? Nah.....very similar at Sheff and Wolves pre-lockdown.

 

[hans kraay fan club]

Well it looks like he’s taken us to a positive place. Still work to be done, but it looks like we’re on course to staying up this season.

- He’s completely changed our style of play, positive, tactical and very inventive at times, capable of dominating games. Which seems a million miles away from Hughtons back to the wall style (CH still a legend of course)

- He’s refreshed our squad. Maupay has been a great signing

- brought through Alzate and Connolly who will only get better

- starting to see the benefit of Ashworths build for the future ethos, Moulumby and Ben White especially looks like an exceptional young player, McAllister looks an exciting prospect

The future looks bright and Graham Potter could be on the verge of helming a very exciting future for our club.

Agree with all of this, apart from the bit about giving Ashworth credit for Molumby and White - they’ve both been here far longer than he has!

 

[Barnet Seagull]

Tactically, the Arsenal game was really interesting. Arteta setup well to get at us, with intelligent movement from deep by Aubameyang, pushing Schelloto back and Lacazete coming deep to draw Webster out. Both creating space for Saka which made him such a threat early on.
I thought Potter reacted to that well and got it right in the second half on Saturday. Switching to a back five nullified the threat of Saka and made us more defensively solid, allowing us to hold possession better and establish more control of the ball. it was quite a defensive move tactically but bringing on March gave flexibility. Given we then went a goal down, that flexibility was rewarded and he was able to switch to a two up top which ultimately led to the pressure for the corner and more obviously to the winning goal. Conversely, Arteta didn't react to the change in formation from Potter. We should have seen more of the Arsenal fullbacks exploiting the space created by withdrawing Mooy and putting more pressure on our defence but they remained quite deep.
Tactics wise, and results wise, Potter won.

 

[Seasidesage]

I think we have a master plan coming together with a good coach who is learning on the job and improving all the time. While much was made of us not winning in 2020 what was less talked about is that we have reestablished some defensive stability and only our lack of goals prevented a number of the draws from being wins. Just 7 goals conceded in our last 6 games, our problem as always is scoring, just the 7 goals in the right net in the same period. If we can find goals from someone other than Maupay we have the base to be a very good side IMO

 

[Moshe Gariani]

I think we have a master plan coming together with a good coach who is learning on the job and improving all the time. While much was made of us not winning in 2020 what was less talked about is that we have reestablished some defensive stability and only our lack of goals prevented a number of the draws from being wins. Just 7 goals conceded in our last 6 games, our problem as always is scoring, just the 7 goals in the right net in the same period. If we can find goals from someone other than Maupay we have the base to be a very good side IMO

The league table shows a very high correlation between GD and placing. I would further suggest a high correlation between GD over 30 games and overall quality of performance by the team in those games.

Potter often mentions the "fine lines in the Premier League". I think what he means is that with 99% of things kept the same in terms of the players we have, their preparation and performances we could easily be 10th-12th in the league this season and looking good for further progress.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Tactically, the Arsenal game was really interesting. Arteta setup well to get at us, with intelligent movement from deep by Aubameyang, pushing Schelloto back and Lacazete coming deep to draw Webster out. Both creating space for Saka which made him such a threat early on.
I thought Potter reacted to that well and got it right in the second half on Saturday. Switching to a back five nullified the threat of Saka and made us more defensively solid, allowing us to hold possession better and establish more control of the ball. it was quite a defensive move tactically but bringing on March gave flexibility. Given we then went a goal down, that flexibility was rewarded and he was able to switch to a two up top which ultimately led to the pressure for the corner and more obviously to the winning goal. Conversely, Arteta didn't react to the change in formation from Potter. We should have seen more of the Arsenal fullbacks exploiting the space created by withdrawing Mooy and putting more pressure on our defence but they remained quite deep.
Tactics wise, and results wise, Potter won.

That's a pretty decent assessment.

What I really meant by my other post on this thread was that, while I didn't agree with our starting lineup, I think Potter's subs, second half tactics and overall match tactics were better than theirs. They even managed to screw up the "5 subs, 3 breaks" rule whereas we correctly used half time to change things round and buy ourselves three sub breaks in the second half.

 

[Sheebo]

Love our style. Still feel we don’t defend tight enough and give teams free hits from 15-25 yards too much - see Saka hitting bar and March for the goal as examples. But do feel we need to take the next step up if we stay up. There’s a number of players who are decent and I like who we need to trade in for better models if we’re gonna try follow someone like Wolves and take that step. Otherwise it’ll be boring lower third til we get relegated. But do like what Potter has done so far and how he speaks.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

First time ? Nah.....very similar at Sheff and Wolves pre-lockdown.

Wolves perhaps not Sheff Utd, where we were all over the place.


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[SULLY COULDNT SHOOT]

I've only just stopped celebrating......

hand in heart I just don't think we've got the players to consider ourselves good enough to stay up. Mooy, Stephens and Gross are too slow, Alzate, Connolly and Bissouma still too raw but lots of potential in years to come. Ryan has still not learned to control the air and Webster needs to learn to calm down sometimes. As for the wings... in the last two years it's just died. There's no one there who will change a game, like Izzy or Knocky could... Trossard is neither winger nor a number 10.

Considering that was the first game in three months and with that squad Potter is squeezing water out of a stone. His tactics first half didn't work but he got it spot on in the second half.

If Wilder can do it so can Potter and with the young players coming through he's got more chance of laying foundations for the future. But we have to stay up... otherwise it could all unravel.

Still can't believe we won

 

[Perkino]

Very much so. The way we play football is a joy to watch, not something that I had imagined for Little old Brighton.

He has taken a squad of players who were really poor last season and has coached them to use possession and he has been brave in trusting youth. It has made me realise we are not far from competing with anyone outside the top 6 and equally on our day can beat a top 6 side. I could see enough from the squad to suggest that another decent pre season with Potter and we could be a slick side, I don't think we will be a revelation in our final 8 games but should steer clear of the drop.

We are only 2 or 3 additions away from an exciting squad especially if a couple more players break through from the youth team

 

[kemptown kid]

Doing the double over Arsenal, beating Spurs, outplaying Palace away, getting a point off Chelsea - one of the few teams we haven't been able to lay a glove on - and plenty of exciting young players coming through - it's a yes from me, whether or not we stay up.

 

[super-seagulls]

Well it looks like he’s taken us to a positive place. Still work to be done, but it looks like we’re on course to staying up this season.

- He’s completely changed our style of play, positive, tactical and very inventive at times, capable of dominating games. Which seems a million miles away from Hughtons back to the wall style (CH still a legend of course)

- He’s refreshed our squad. Maupay has been a great signing

- brought through Alzate and Connolly who will only get better

- starting to see the benefit of Ashworths build for the future ethos, Moulumby and Ben White especially looks like an exceptional young player, McAllister looks an exciting prospect

The future looks bright and Graham Potter could be on the verge of helming a very exciting future for our club.

The new VINCENTE it seems, in more ways than one!

 

[Machiavelli]

Tactically, the Arsenal game was really interesting. Arteta setup well to get at us, with intelligent movement from deep by Aubameyang, pushing Schelloto back and Lacazete coming deep to draw Webster out. Both creating space for Saka which made him such a threat early on.
I thought Potter reacted to that well and got it right in the second half on Saturday. Switching to a back five nullified the threat of Saka and made us more defensively solid, allowing us to hold possession better and establish more control of the ball. it was quite a defensive move tactically but bringing on March gave flexibility. Given we then went a goal down, that flexibility was rewarded and he was able to switch to a two up top which ultimately led to the pressure for the corner and more obviously to the winning goal. Conversely, Arteta didn't react to the change in formation from Potter. We should have seen more of the Arsenal fullbacks exploiting the space created by withdrawing Mooy and putting more pressure on our defence but they remained quite deep.
Tactics wise, and results wise, Potter won.

Interesting post.
I might be wrong on this, and it's difficult to keep track of this, but there seemed to be multiple different formations in the second half (I didn't really notice any tactical changes in the first half). The best way I can track this is through March. You're right to say that we went to a back five when he came on as LWB, but he cropped up in a kind of right midfield position for a fair period later in that half. March then returned to the left flank for the closing period.