How Brighton Became One of Europe’s Top Scoring Teams
· Yahoo Sports
Take a look at the top-scoring teams in Europe’s top five leagues: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Inter Milan. And then there’s Brighton and Hove Albion, who are third on that list. So just how have the Albion placed themselves among some of the biggest teams on earth?
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The NumbersThe numbers on Brighton’s attacking prowess this season are tough to wrap your head around. Eighteen goals in six games, twenty-seven big chances and seven final-third possession gains per game: The Seagulls lead the Premier League in all of them.
It’s a stark change from last season, and Head Coach Fabian Hürzeler has brought it about in a few different ways.
Goalscorer Deconcentration IMAGO / Every Second MediaImagine telling someone the day we sold Danny Welbeck to Chelsea that, 50 days into the season, Brighton’s goalscoring ability would be the envy of world football.
The sale caused particular concern in the fanbase, and for good reason. Danny was top scorer, with nearly three times as many goals as Diego Gómez in second.
His 13 goals equated to a quarter of those scored in the league and made him Brighton’s sole reliable scoring outlet, so his departure had Albion fans greatly concerned as to how the void would be filled.
However, in what is complete night and day compared to last season, Fabian’s side now has the most diverse list of goalscorers in the Premier League, with ten different scorers thus far.
That’s in one way thanks to greater freedom in players’ movement and decision-making, which has seen Pascal Groß, Maxim De Cuyper and Babis Kostoulas benefit and find great success in and around goal.
The Seagulls struggled many times in front of goal when the Welbeck avenue was blocked. With the creation of more outlets, Brighton now have more volatile options going forward, which as a result leads to a greater amount of chances and goals created.
The Power of Presence IMAGO / Action PlusTake a look at the first goal against Kauno Žalgiris and you’ll notice seven Brighton players in and around the box when Georginio Rutter opened the scoring. It’s just one of many examples of how Brighton benefit from physical presence in attack.
Many chances went begging last season because crosses weren’t finding recipients. Now, through flooding the box more often and through smarter positioning, Brighton are scoring significantly more goals organically inside the 18-yard box, whereas last season many of their penalty-area goals stemmed from second balls and deflections.
The Arsenal dismantling was also a lesson in the Seagulls’ dominance. The Gunners were never allowed to settle and control the tempo, and were put under constant pressure instead.
The stats reflect this: in the Premier League this season, Brighton lead in turnovers and possession gains in the final third. All of that feeds into big-chance creation, which, as you may have guessed, the Albion also tops.
The Mentality Side IMAGO / APLFabian Hürzeler doesn’t shy away from the importance of mentality to the success of his style of play. He talks about his “Red Lines” in training, one of which is that you must sprint back to win a lost ball within five seconds, or the whole team runs laps on your account.
This creates an expectation that when possession is lost, you swarm the ball and you don’t stop until you win it back. This style was most notably employed by Jürgen Klopp during his time at Liverpool, and fits the Brighton style well as it compliments the aforementioned high density in attack, and therefore allows Hürzeler’s side to convert possession gain into goalscoring chances in rapid time.
Strength in numbers, greater freedom and a ‘get the ball at all costs’ mentality all combine to make Brighton a frighteningly efficient force in front of goal, and Fabian Hürzeler’s side are certainly enjoying the fruits of a fresh and energetic attacking style as they find themselves leaders in the footballing world.