[Albion] Valencia to visit Amex for pre-season friendly *** 7pm KICK OFF ***

[zefarelly]

Burn and Trossard both had very good games, that's about the long and short of it.

Agreed. Locadia looked poor, he's a shit winger. Murray isolated and ineffective . . . Stephens slack, Propper too deep and way off his best position and capabilities. a significant amount of the game , late first half and second half looked like Hughton ball . . . . Until the last 12 minutes.

 

[Hugo Rune]

TBF they created nothing as well. . . . . . .we took our chances better.

Their first team shredded our defence in the first half and scored, looked very easy. I’m not sure we did the same to them? I also don’t recall them having the easy chances we had.

 

[crookie]

Had to leave 12 odd mins before time to get the last bus home so missed the winner. I have to say I was a little underwhelmed. I thought we were often poor in possession and didn't break quick enough. Early days though, and good quality opposition

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[Guinness Boy]

Not much difference IMO.
Propper and Trossard starred.
Burn did well.
Great finish by Duffy.
Created next to nothing.

All a bit worrying.....


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Good Lord, I'd hate to come across you when we've lost.

We've just beaten a Champions League Spanish team. We didn't look out of our depth either. We were talking to a couple of Valencia fans on the train home and one of the guys said "Valencia played very Spanish and Brighton played very English". We were direct and, at times, creative without ever getting out of third gear (which is what you'd expect and need from a friendly). Two set piece goals, one of which was a cracker. And let's think about that for a minute.

Last season every time Duffy got a chance from a set piece with his head he put it in Row Z. In pre season he's scored three times with his head from set pieces. Now, I'm going out on a limb here, but maybe he's spent time being coached on attacking headers, practicing them and building up his confidence, rather than spending the whole time on shape. Maybe Potter trusts him to know where a centre back plays and has actually started to address his weaknesses in order to make him a better player. Or, maybe, he's been lucky three times out of three

Could not be more positive going in to the season with a team that look like they're enjoying their football and being coached as individuals as well as being inducted in to a fluid, forwards facing system.

 

[schmunk]

Agreed. Locadia looked poor, he's a shit winger. Murray isolated and ineffective . . . Stephens slack, Propper too deep and way off his best position and capabilities. a significant amount of the game , late first half and second half looked like Hughton ball . . . . Until the last 12 minutes.

I suspect we'll often see Trossard and Ali on the flanks with Locadia/Andone in the middle.

 

[studio150]

Just me then, but feel like Burn will be the weak link when teams press and he hasn't got time to consider what he is going to do with the ball, looked better as a stopper than a defender who will comfortable playing out of tight situations, and if Webster comes in this week, I would expect an immediate change in the team.

Happy to be proved wrong.

But on a positive note, did Propper take more shots in tonights game than for the whole of last season

 

[Knocky's Nose]

Might have already been clarified but where was Bruno in the Bruno appreciation game?

He was sat in the row behind the home dugout. Gave a thumbs up and/or a smile to the NS every time his name was sung.

 

[zefarelly]

I suspect we'll often see Trossard and Ali on the flanks with Locadia/Andone in the middle.

That's what we were hoping for this evening. . . . I think it could work. Locadia on the right and Murray up front didn't . . . . At least twice Trossard checked back as he had no outlet . . . Murray was still on GMT!

 

[keaton]

Just me then, but feel like Burn will be the weak link when teams press and he hasn't got time to consider what he is going to do with the ball, looked better as a stopper than a defender who will comfortable playing out of tight situations, and if Webster comes in this week, I would expect an immediate change in the team.

Happy to be proved wrong.

But on a positive note, did Propper take more shots in tonights game than for the whole of last season

I can't see how you can look at Burns and Locadia tonight and decide Burns was the weak link

 

[Cotton Socks]

The only time I had a flag was against Doncaster.

Other than that they seem to be missing when I arrive.

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We came back from Wembley with 15 flags. 3 were on our seats which we diligently waved at appropriate times. Making sure not to hinder anyone's view of the occasion or upset the anti- (makes us look tinpot) flag brigade. The other 12 we took after the stand had been pretty much vacated and all the flags were still wrapped up. Moral of the story, if you want a flag, hang around the stand after the game has finished!

 

[Deano's Invisible Pants]

Surprised to see people saying 'not much difference' to end of last season. I thought we looked more composed in possession and that the three at the back worked well. Burn is a unit, yet comfortable on the ball. Him, Dunk and Duffy will be a threat at set pieces. Stephens and Propper both excellent and Trossard looks good. Desparately wanted to see a good performance from Locadia, but I'm afraid he still looks poor at this level.

 

[One Teddy Maybank]

Good Lord, I'd hate to come across you when we've lost.

We've just beaten a Champions League Spanish team. We didn't look out of our depth either. We were talking to a couple of Valencia fans on the train home and one of the guys said "Valencia played very Spanish and Brighton played very English". We were direct and, at times, creative without ever getting out of third gear (which is what you'd expect and need from a friendly). Two set piece goals, one of which was a cracker. And let's think about that for a minute.

Last season every time Duffy got a chance from a set piece with his head he put it in Row Z. In pre season he's scored three times with his head from set pieces. Now, I'm going out on a limb here, but maybe he's spent time being coached on attacking headers, practicing them and building up his confidence, rather than spending the whole time on shape. Maybe Potter trusts him to know where a centre back plays and has actually started to address his weaknesses in order to make him a better player. Or, maybe, he's been lucky three times out of three

Could not be more postive going in to the season with a team that look like they're enjoying their football and being coached as individuals as well as being inducted in to a fluid, forwards facing system.

We played a Champions League team who are behind us in terms of prep, used at least 22 players - really not getting all of the somewhat OTT reaction.

I seem to recall Duffy scoring last season as well, great header though, nothing was getting in his way.... However, do you seriously believe we didn’t work on set-pieces last year? Remind me how most of our goals came last season....

We created little or nothing, frequently had only Murray in the box despite being in good positions - I just felt it was like last season....

Trossard was great and Propper was back to his best. Burn did well, but as per my original post other than that nothing particularly good.

Locadia struggled against better opposition.

Sorry, not feeling your optimism......


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[driller]

We came back from Wembley with 15 flags. 3 were on our seats which we diligently waved at appropriate times. Making sure not to hinder anyone's view of the occasion or upset the anti- (makes us look tinpot) flag brigade. The other 12 we took after the stand had been pretty much vacated and all the flags were still wrapped up. Moral of the story, if you want a flag, hang around the stand after the game has finished!

So it was you that stole my flag.

 

[Cotton Socks]

So it was you that stole my flag.

Had you left the stand without taking your flag after the final whistle?

 

[Is it PotG?]

Aside from good shows from Burn and Stephens, Trossard shows glimpses but, alas, was pretty much Status Quo.

 

[southstandandy]

Surprised to see people saying 'not much difference' to end of last season. I thought we looked more composed in possession and that the three at the back worked well. Burn is a unit, yet comfortable on the ball. Him, Dunk and Duffy will be a threat at set pieces. Stephens and Propper both excellent and Trossard looks good. Desparately wanted to see a good performance from Locadia, but I'm afraid he still looks poor at this level.

Very much this. Many positives overall but still think we need more a innovative striker so hopefully Maupay will come in and give the forward line some fresh impetus. Pleased with much of what I saw tonight but upfront it still looks like we will have problems unless signings are made.

 

[Grombleton]

For the people that couldn't see a difference on last season: hop on over to Specsavers.

We are definitely more fluid than we were last season - Burn feels like a new signing, let alone a 3rd/4th choice CB. Trossard has that 'thing' about him that will frustrate and mesmerise, probably in the same match. I even saw a shot from Propper. Montoya looks twice the player he did last season.

We will ship goals. We won't score from each attack we have, but you can't have it all: the posters complaining last season about boring football should be placated by this setup and we are more a 'team' in the sense that everyone contributes towards a common goal: we hopefully won't be reliant on the same one or two players.

Plus we still have a new CB and poss a new RB and ST to come in. AND Bissouma to come back, who i think will thrive in this setup.

My mojo is pretty high right now. It may be a friendly but we've just beaten VALENCIA. a CHAMPIONS LEAGUE team. Wake up, for Christ's sake.

 

[Guinness Boy]

We played a Champions League team who are behind us in terms of prep, used at least 22 players - really not getting all of the somewhat OTT reaction.

But we beat them. And we went nowhere near 100% effort.

I seem to recall Duffy scoring last season as well, great header though, nothing was getting in his way.... However, do you seriously believe we didn’t work on set-pieces last year? Remind me how most of our goals came last season....

No, I believe we worked on set pieces last year. The point was that we seem to be coaching the players now as well as the team. Everything last season was about shape, discipline, tracking back. It looks to me like Potter and his team are seriously working on players' flaws as well as their positioning.

We created little or nothing, frequently had only Murray in the box despite being in good positions - I just felt it was like last season....

Again, we were up against Champions League calibre opposition (and the type that should be competitive in the group stages). We looked far better than we did last season against City, Liverpool and Spurs. That performance last night and the desperate backs to the wall shite we offered up at Spurs are chalk and cheese. But, as I said, at probably three quarters capacity.

Sorry, not feeling your optimism......


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A week to go till the window SLAMS shit and we're about to break our transfer record on a centre back we think can improve that system even miore. I'm confident we'll add an attacking option as well. Trossard looks like he could be one of our best creative and technical players ever, Not Vicente but you can certainly see him in a Hazard role (not saying he's as good as Hazard who is one of the best in the world but he certainly has the potential to unlock defences).

The players look happy and confident and as if they are enjoying their football again. There's a spirit of optimism on the terraces too. This is most definitely not another Hyppia moment.

 

[Dutch]

Again lots of positives tonight as there was against Birmingham. Valencia are a good side, you can see why they are in the Champions League. Well drilled, technically sound, tactically astute. A proper test and we largely held our own. At the start of the second half we were probably second best but held in there well and came back into it later in that half. Was quite surprised we played 3-4-3 at home, thought'd we'd go with 4-2-3-1. Maybe that was indicative of the oppositions quality. Alternatively it could be Potters preferred formation. Either way the formation held up well against talented opposition and as a team newly acquainted to that system we performed admirably.

Tonights game highlighted the need for a mobile striker and seeing as Potter seems reluctant to start games with Locadia or Andone in that position (which is quite disappointing), it seems logical to assume we'll have to strengthen via the transfer market. Another position of concern is CM. Propper is our best player in that position but I'm not sure Stephens is up to the task. His control lets him down and that get's the team in trouble. He doesn't quite have the technical ability to create or make space for himself, therefore he will often move the ball sideways or backwards and that can negate attacking intent. I'm not ordinarily one of his critics but I think 'Potterball' might find him out. Bissouma does come into the equation but he is still to prove he can be the player for that central midfield berth.

The right side of our team needs to improve when in possession. Duffy, Montoya and Locadia struggle to move the ball and create space as Burn, March and Trossard do.

On the whole another positive step forward but tonights game for me highlighted some areas of weakness that I hope can be overcome.

 

[Triggaaar]

Heh! Unfortunately I really do read what everyone posts...lesson to be be learnt.

I don't have anyone on ignore, but that doesn't mean I don't ignore a fair chunk of posts. If TSB or dwayne post something negative, or if BG post an opinion about football, the choice is either to ignore or to mock.