Spurs complete their comeback at the Amex today in a game that always felt like it was in the balance, despite the Seagulls’ promising start.
What keeps going wrong?
When writing about games like this, I always like to think of the bigger picture. Stay away from appearing ‘reactionary’ or being swept along with the crowd. This logic applies regardless of the result.
Albion dropped 22 points from leading positions in the Premier League last season, a staggering number of points that could’ve had Albion well within the Champions League places. Of course, football isn’t played on paper, but the fact remains that this issue must stem from somewhere.
Cream always rises to the top, as does a perfect olive oil. Facts will remain amongst emotions, whether appreciated or the latter. To have multiple two goal deficits be thrown away, this is not just a bad result, it is a common trend.
An unwanted trend that must surely link back to two other common denominators: poorly timed substitutions and a weak mentality.
Mentality must filter down from the top, quite simply. Winners win, nice guys finish last, and the rest is a bunch that nobody really cares about. So who would you rather be? Games have to be won (and lost) based on the way the team approaches the game. Tottenham largely controlled the possession, and the tempo of the game. So perhaps the new game-plan was counter attacking?
It has to be said, counter attacking would work very well with the personnel especially on the forward transition in blue and white. Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma have enough pace and attacking ability to hurt any team in the Premier League, as does the quality of midfield. Yasin Ayari, and even the likes of Mats Wieffer and Carlos Baleba.
It has to be said that Kaoru Mitoma had arguably one of his worst games in a very long time against Spurs… but why? He looked noticeably unhappy on the pitch, and when zooming into his quotes from last weekend that suggested his confusion in the game plan, it makes you question what is actually going wrong?
Mentality will always be shared by a player like Mitoma. Someone who doesn’t care if he scores a goal unless it counts for a win for the team, and consistently wants to prove himself at a higher level. His pledge to staying at the club this season is one of the most admirable actions a player has done for this club in a very long time, he is a legend.
If Mitoma is going to be the player that appears to be ‘dropping off’ in performances, then it is time for me to start asking more questions.
Yankuba Minteh was another who looked noticeably unhappy with his substituion. Shrugging back towards the bench and walking with his head down at the ground. Minteh was one of the best players on the pitch for Albion, and he worked incredibly hard throughout. Ultimately the sub proved to be wrong (who could’ve guessed it?) as Spurs pulled the game back to 2-2, and a severe lack in attackers when finding ourselves chasing the game for the first time was made evident.
What do we take from this?
What do all of these decisions have in common? These are all influences and decisions from the head coach. To come out and face the media while saying we were the better side in a game where we had 36% possession? I start to get concerned over what game the 32-year-old is actually watching.
There is a misconception that I have never given him a chance at Brighton, but the eye test will forever be the most accurate. You cannot, and should not change what you think and how you feel about a situation for anybody else’s gain. Performances on the pitch and morale will always be the consistent and obvious gauge of long termist success. We may have scored two goals, but if we’re honest, did Albion actually deserve them? Spurs had 45 touches in Albion’s box, while only a measly 17 could be reciprocated.
The score remains 2-2, but the trajectory of the potential results when applying this evidence leaves a resoundingly conclusive answer.
Brighton didn’t play well against Spurs, or against Everton, or really City until the 65th minute, and Fulham! The evidence is built from here, and the next results can be predicted using that.
Something has to change, and pretty quickly. Although I said that on my way out of the first-ever trip to the ‘Hill Dickinson’.
