Is this just the first part? I'm really looking forward to it; these are all details that people won't see.
I wonder if the team can't ignore Vuskovic and must give him playing time, but they also have to address his lack of speed in 4back. Will they develop a 3CB, like a 3-4-2-1, to address this? This might explain why we have so many attacking midfielders and fast wingers.
Thank you! That's very kind. For these players, this is the entire piece. As a concept, it's just the start, and I'll have more out soon.
I did actually write a bit on whether I think Brighton switch to a back three, which I will paste below. For context, I wrote this on the 28th of June, so some things may have changed (though they should largely have stayed the same):
I’ve seen some talk of Brighton using a back five, and this is something I’ve thought about as well.
On paper, I think it works fine. You can feasibly have Kadioğlu/Mitoma rotating as a WB-AM duo, whilst having Minteh push on as a winger from wingback-esque zones. Gómez/Georginio are good enough to cut inside from wide spaces and float about as the 10. A Baleba-passer (Ayari/Groß) duo works well, given either of Baleba/the passer can drop between the CBs to facilitate the wingbacks pushing up, whilst having enough progression in them to make sure play doesn’t go stale.
The CBs sorta work. You could have Struijk playing as the LCB and Dunk as the CCB, which works fine. But with any iteration of this backline (even with Vušković), you have no pace. It’d also be pretty easy to target the RCB with crosses, given Brighton don’t have a specialist there.
Switching to a back five also clogs up the pathway for quite a few wingers. Whilst Yohanna, Cozier-Duberry, Oriola etc. have varying degrees of a future at the club, it’d be incredibly demanding to thrust them into wingback positions from the off. Their skill sets don’t necessarily suit playing as the 10 either. In this sense, this switch could, to some degree, hurt Brighton’s long-term recruiting prospects. It feels fair to say Hürzeler leaves next season, and it’s a reasonable assumption that the next manager uses something like a 4-2-3-1, given it suits the squad. The one saving grace here is that, since everyone’s so versatile, you can get away with not recruiting for a back three and still put out a decent lineup, therefore still maintaining the wingers’ relationship with the club from next season onwards.
There’s also a huge striker problem here, but that exists regardless of whether we see a back three or back four. Going into December with an aged Welbeck, a freshly recovered Tzimas, and big error bars on Kostoulas is not ideal.
You’re spot on. If you want to nurture young talent, you need stability: a settled squad, a clear style, and a stable manager, with a consistent 4-2-3-1 being the ideal setup.
I don't usually delve too deeply into tactics, but reading your piece gave me a few thoughts.
For young lads like Yohanna (I really love his character) and ACD (I like how steadily he’s coming along), I agree it's much better to ease them in as rotation wingers rather than forcing them into WB roles.
At CF, Tzimas’s injury creates real issues for both immediate depth and long-term planning. I’ve noticed Kostoulas looks much more natural playing as an SS. Do you think switching to a 4-4-2 with a front two could work, perhaps pairing a seasoned pro like Welbeck with one of the young lads so they can learn and develop alongside him?
As for the defence, based on your analysis, it feels like no tactical reshuffle can truly fix our lack of pace. The club hasn't even attempted to bring in a CB with a bit of quickness (Who is Igor), so maybe we’ll have to rely on midfielders like Baleba or full-backs like Kadıoğlu to pitch in and cover.
Just a quick random thought: why does it feel like we spend every single season worrying about CB speed? Hahaha.
Personally, I’m a massive fan of young Fabian Hürzeler. Ever since those comments he made about Arteta, I’ve been really excited to watch his growth every week. You reckon he’ll pop off after one season, but I actually think he’ll stick around for three to five years and maybe even turn into a sort of Simeone. He’s massively ambitious, so unless Bayern or one of the top elite clubs comes calling, I don't see him running off anytime soon.
Is this just the first part? I'm really looking forward to it; these are all details that people won't see.
I wonder if the team can't ignore Vuskovic and must give him playing time, but they also have to address his lack of speed in 4back. Will they develop a 3CB, like a 3-4-2-1, to address this? This might explain why we have so many attacking midfielders and fast wingers.
Thank you! That's very kind. For these players, this is the entire piece. As a concept, it's just the start, and I'll have more out soon.
I did actually write a bit on whether I think Brighton switch to a back three, which I will paste below. For context, I wrote this on the 28th of June, so some things may have changed (though they should largely have stayed the same):
I’ve seen some talk of Brighton using a back five, and this is something I’ve thought about as well.
On paper, I think it works fine. You can feasibly have Kadioğlu/Mitoma rotating as a WB-AM duo, whilst having Minteh push on as a winger from wingback-esque zones. Gómez/Georginio are good enough to cut inside from wide spaces and float about as the 10. A Baleba-passer (Ayari/Groß) duo works well, given either of Baleba/the passer can drop between the CBs to facilitate the wingbacks pushing up, whilst having enough progression in them to make sure play doesn’t go stale.
The CBs sorta work. You could have Struijk playing as the LCB and Dunk as the CCB, which works fine. But with any iteration of this backline (even with Vušković), you have no pace. It’d also be pretty easy to target the RCB with crosses, given Brighton don’t have a specialist there.
Switching to a back five also clogs up the pathway for quite a few wingers. Whilst Yohanna, Cozier-Duberry, Oriola etc. have varying degrees of a future at the club, it’d be incredibly demanding to thrust them into wingback positions from the off. Their skill sets don’t necessarily suit playing as the 10 either. In this sense, this switch could, to some degree, hurt Brighton’s long-term recruiting prospects. It feels fair to say Hürzeler leaves next season, and it’s a reasonable assumption that the next manager uses something like a 4-2-3-1, given it suits the squad. The one saving grace here is that, since everyone’s so versatile, you can get away with not recruiting for a back three and still put out a decent lineup, therefore still maintaining the wingers’ relationship with the club from next season onwards.
There’s also a huge striker problem here, but that exists regardless of whether we see a back three or back four. Going into December with an aged Welbeck, a freshly recovered Tzimas, and big error bars on Kostoulas is not ideal.
You’re spot on. If you want to nurture young talent, you need stability: a settled squad, a clear style, and a stable manager, with a consistent 4-2-3-1 being the ideal setup.
I don't usually delve too deeply into tactics, but reading your piece gave me a few thoughts.
For young lads like Yohanna (I really love his character) and ACD (I like how steadily he’s coming along), I agree it's much better to ease them in as rotation wingers rather than forcing them into WB roles.
At CF, Tzimas’s injury creates real issues for both immediate depth and long-term planning. I’ve noticed Kostoulas looks much more natural playing as an SS. Do you think switching to a 4-4-2 with a front two could work, perhaps pairing a seasoned pro like Welbeck with one of the young lads so they can learn and develop alongside him?
As for the defence, based on your analysis, it feels like no tactical reshuffle can truly fix our lack of pace. The club hasn't even attempted to bring in a CB with a bit of quickness (Who is Igor), so maybe we’ll have to rely on midfielders like Baleba or full-backs like Kadıoğlu to pitch in and cover.
Just a quick random thought: why does it feel like we spend every single season worrying about CB speed? Hahaha.
Personally, I’m a massive fan of young Fabian Hürzeler. Ever since those comments he made about Arteta, I’ve been really excited to watch his growth every week. You reckon he’ll pop off after one season, but I actually think he’ll stick around for three to five years and maybe even turn into a sort of Simeone. He’s massively ambitious, so unless Bayern or one of the top elite clubs comes calling, I don't see him running off anytime soon.