Why De Zerbi’s Brighton is the Next Best Thing in the Prem
Last year, I wrote blogs about Leeds and Brentford. This year, it's Brighton.
With no real loyalty for any Prem side, I am just a fan of the futbol, and like everyone else, a fan of the underdog. I get tired, weary even, with all these “so called” City supporters, claiming they were fans when Vincent Kompany was with the club. And similar to any underdog, any young, frail David, pulling off results against the Goliaths, there is a legitimate reason for this success: Roberto De Zerbi. This blog post will be a very average attempt at describing Brighton's tactical advantage right now under De Zerbi.
For Background, Brighton have typically finished around 15th place in the Premier League in the past decade. However, last year they finished 9th. Momentum building, and a real commitment to new data analysis, Brighton have found themselves at the top of the table this year, in an even better position than last year. But how?
De Zerbi Ball: The Hour Glass Effect
Brighton are known to play in a 4-2-3-1, if you believe in football formations anymore. A distinct characteristic of this team is their bravery in the build out. They present 2 center backs to collect the ball from the goalkeeper, 2 outside backs push moderately high, and 2 center mids to show for the ball, almost creating a box in the midfield, allowing 4 attackers to occupy spaces across the opponents' backline (maybe you could say they create 2 boxes centrally).
Attacking minded, fearless and confident in build out play, this Brighton is a very different Brighton that have bounced between the bottom table the past decade. They look for solutions on the floor, in the middle of the park, and are proactive in a counter press.
At the end of the day, Brighton will not win the premier league, and, spoiler alert, they have weaknesses. Brighton just lost against Everton 5-1, last Tuesday. Everton defended mostly in a mid / low block (4-1-4-1), denying center mids and outside backs any room. De Zerbi makes the argument, that his players lacked the right mentality and motivation. Regardless of Brighton's loss, they remain 7th place in the Premier League, a big achievement, and as far as a few weeks ago, the 12 wins they attained in the league granted them the highest XG in the league at 2.45 goals per match, that's above Man City. Now, they remain second, with an XG of 2.17. (For more on XG, check out my "Moneyball Secrets" blog on Brentford)
Undoubtedly, a new Italian philosophy on what it means to play futbol has changed the club for the better. Brighton’s approach shifted. Players are forced to find more open-ended solutions in training, and consequently, their willingness to problem solve in tight areas of space, with short passing and movement, has improved. This year, they offer a masterclass, with acute body orientation in possessional play, and nonverbal signals and cues to bait a press.
Overall, they're one of the teams to watch this year, and more importantly, the best league in the world is coming to the realization about how futbol can be played. None of that rainy night in Stoke nonsense. De Zerbi is changing commonly held perceptions about English futbol, similar to the Peps and Artetas.
