We’ve all grown accustomed to Brighton’s one recurring struggle these past 18 months, one which has held them back from realizing their full potential under the fine and craft tutelage of highly-rated tactician Graham Potter.
It’s been their inability to put the ball in the back of the net consistently whether during Premier League matches or in consecutive gameweeks. There’s no doubt about it, this is a Brighton team on the up. They’re much more competitive, more cohesive, tactically aware, and more defensive sound, but still its finding the back of the net regularly that so eludes them.
However, their impressive 3-2 win over a struggling and faltering Everton team may well be the game Brighton start to be more clinical, and we are really hoping so, because this is a team that can go places.
Picture this though, the Everton result was the first time this season Brighton have score three or more in a game. It’s a surprising stat considering the wealth of talent both in midfield and attack at Graham Potter’s disposal.
Neal Maupay, Leandro Trossard, Yves Bissouma, Enock Mwepu, Adam Lallana, Tariq Lamptey, Marc Cucurella, Jakub Moder, Graham Potter is building and moulding an exciting and tantalizing squad. While Neal Maupay (7) and Leandro Trossard (4) have shared the goals between them rather staggered this season, there is one flawless talent not named above who after his performance against Everton deserves his own seperate mention is Brighton’s Argentine midfield maestro Alexis Mac Allister.
Brighton and Hove Albion have needed a goalscoring midfielder ever since their promotion to the big league in 2017. Now, they have finally found one in the shape of the so-called South Coast Messi, as big a claim as that may be, Mac Allister is indeed a special footballer.
The 23-year-old’s two goals against Everton on Sunday highlighted his stunning ability in the final third, but also showed he has a fair amount in common with the former Barcelona great and his compatriot. Same shirt number, same build and stature but also the same aura when performing for their clubs respectively.
Mac Allister hasn’t had all his own way since his arrival.
He’s made the same number of top-flight substitute appearances (22) as starts (22) since an £8 million move from Argentinos Juniors in the January 2019 transfer window.
Mac Allister was loaned back to Argentinos, then to his boyhood idols Boca Juniors, before making his Brighton debut at Wolves in March 2020, the final fixture before COVID-19 led to a Premier League lockdown. The 23-year-old has been unfortunate that his period at the club has coincided with injuries, niggles and the disruptive pandemic but after a few false starts in the team, it finally looks like his big break amongst Potter’s first XI is finally upon him.
His double against Everton took his tally for the league season to four goals taking him level with Leandro Trossard, compared to scoring just once in 30 outings across the previous two campaigns. Graham Potter has turned to him in the last three matches in succession. They have yielded a 2-0 home win over Brentford, a 1-1 draw at Chelsea and a first-ever victory at Goodison Park.
Within those three appearances, Mac Allister has shown why he can be so pivotal to Potter’s impressively built side. Both of his goals were simply mesmerizing, applying the finish to fluid build-ups, something Brighton have struggled with for a while.
His first, ghosting into the box to volley Neal Maupay’s header from Joel Veltman’s cross past Jordan Pickford from six yards just two minutes and 43 seconds into the contest, Brighton’s fastest ever away goal in the Premier League. If you analyse the goal, you’d see as soon Veltman hit the cross towards the box, Mac Allister is already on the move to capitalize on any loose balls, and that’s how he was able to score, something out of Frank Lampard or even Lionel Messi’s playbook.
His second and Brighton’s third was out of the top draw, arrowing an unstoppable right-footed drive beyond the reach of England No 1 Jordan Pickford into the roof of the net from 20-yards, an absolute peach of a hit. Measured, purposeful and hit with real venom encompassing the fact that this is a footballer playing with real confidence.
It was his cross which led to Brighton’s third, but also it was a true measure of his specialty from free-kicks and corners. This is a player mastered in the art of creativity.
He currently averages 3.43 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes in the Premier League this season, the third most in the Brighton squad, again highlighting his creative abilities in the final third. Also, the Argentine averages 1.56 key passes, 4.38 passes into the final third and 4.53 progressive passes.
Lining up behind both Neal Maupay and Leandro Trossard, Mac Allister has fully utilised and taken advantage of the freedom offered to him in Brighton’s attacking play.
Mac Allister’s season heatmap
Whether its operating in the half-spaces or in the flanks orchestrating one and two touch football, he’s become so central to Potter’s intricate patterns of football. His heatmap above may not show as much action, but its safe to say Mac Allister is a smooth and silent operator, one who picks his moments but is obviously decisive when provided the opportunity. Not only is he thriving in his attacking play, but he’s a very valuable component in Graham Potter’s renewed pressing game this season.
The Argentinian averages 9.38 successful pressures per90 in the Premier League this season, the ninth best out of any player in the English top-flight, as well as averaging 2.66 tackles won per 90, which makes for telling reading when analysing his work off the ball. Mac Allister, Trossard and Maupay may look the smallest and not the strongest when defending from the front but they are true hustlers and harriers when trying to counter-press, something Graham Potter has utilised to good effect so far this campaign.
Against Everton, Mac Allister was at his sparkling best, recording 65 touches, the joint-second best in the Brighton team, 2 key passes, 3 shots, 3 accurate crosses, 2 accurate long balls, 5 tackles, and four clearances picking up a WhoScored rating of 8.76. Blessed with such amazing quick and silky feet, wonderful vision, and a technical set of skills that means he is like no other in this Brighton squad, a unique player who Graham Potter probably cannot do without.
Mac Allister only turned 23 on Christmas Eve, so there’s still a lot more to come from him. Five goals – 4 of them coming this campaign – is a credible return from 44 Premier League appearances overall for Brighton, considering so many of them have been limited roles from the bench. Of course, he will never reach Messi’s prestigious feats but Mac Allister is capable of the spectacular, whether chipping in with goals and assists that have been lacking from the midfield areas for Brighton.
Graham Potter said post-match:
“He’s got the quality. You can see that. He can contribute to the scoring phase for us, for sure. So can Enock, so can Jakub (Moder).
“That’s something we’re trying to improve because it’s too easy to blame the strikers if we don’t score. It was positive because we got goals from midfield and a goal from a set play, which is good for us.”
It’s high-time Brighton started getting goals from midfield and if they can keep Mac Allister fit and firing for the rest of the campaign, there is simply no reason why Graham Potter’s men can’t claim an unprecedented top-half finish in the Premier League table come May.
Certainly, Brighton’s Argentine midfield maestro will be central to those lofty ambitions, the future is looking really bright at the Amex Stadium.
Selhurst Park plays host to Patrick Vieira’s first M23 derby on Monday evening as Crystal Palace and Brighton lock horns, concluding the latest round of Premier League fixtures.
Graham Potter’s impressive Brighton unit could end the day top of the Barclays Premier League table if they come away with the three points in South London, and Vieira and his men will want to put that ambition to the sword as Palace aim to redeem their fortunes after losing 3-0 to Liverpool at Anfield last weekend.
After their thrilling 3-0 triumph over 10-man Tottenham Hotspur, the Eagles were quickly brought crashing back down to earth at Anfield, where Liverpool notched up a trio of unanswered goals to temporarily halt Vieira’s momentum.
Palace were starting to build up a head of steam with four points from their London derbies against Tottenham and West Ham United before their humbling at Anfield, and a total of five points from their opening five fixtures sees them occupy 15th place in the Premier League standings before they kick off against rivals Brighton.
However, Vieira’s side have managed to navigate their first two home games unbeaten without conceding a goal, and following their early EFL Cup exit at the hands of Watford, the Eagles – unlike most of their top-flight counterparts – have no midweek fatigue to contend with.
Not since the days of the Ian Holloway have Palace kept three clean sheets in their first three home league games of a domestic season, and that mettle will be extremely tested against Graham Potter’s inspired outfit.
For much of last season, Brighton may not have always garnered the results their performances deserved, but the Seagulls are currently in dreamland after a superb start to the campaign, with 12 points from their opening five games this season.
After claiming a hugely impressive 2-1 win over Leicester City in their last Premier League battle, the Seagulls swooped to sink Swansea in the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening, as Aaron Connolly’s double sealed his side’s progress into the fourth round.
Only Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool have taken more points than Brighton so far this term – but they could overtake all those clubs including Manchester City providing they beat their M23 derby rivals – but their tally of seven goals scored is by far the fewest in the top six.
Nevertheless, Brighton have only conceded four goals at the other end of the pitch and have plenty of reasons to be optimistic ahead of the first M23 derby of the season, especially seeing as they have a 100% success rate on the road this term with wins over Burnley, Brentford and Cardiff City.
The Seagulls head to the capital winless in four against Palace, though, with Roy Hodgson’s side claiming a 2-1 win during the last meeting at the Amex in February, but the last two meetings between the sides at Selhurst Park have finished 1-1.
With both sides much improved since their last meeting, this game could well be the most enthralling M23 derby in a long while.
PREMIER LEAGUE FORM:
Crystal Palace: LDDWL
Brighton & Hove Albion: WWLWW
TEAM NEWS:
Crystal Palace:
Patrick Vieira has confirmed that Jeffrey Schlupp will be in contention to feature in Monday night’s game, but long-term absentees Nathan Ferguson and Eberechi Eze are still out continuing their road to recovering.
Odsonne Edouard’s quickfire double against Spurs did not earn him a start over Christian Benteke at Anfield, but the former Celtic man will certainly hope to feature from the off here after Benteke’s current poor form.
Fellow new signing Michael Olise has performed some impressive cameos from the bench but is unlikely to feature from the start.
Brighton & Hove Albion:
Brighton, meanwhile, are sweating over the fitness of star midfielder Yves Bissouma and new recruit Enock Mwepu, with the former though to have a stronger chance of featuring from the first whistle.
Alexis Mac Allister should also be okay to feature after a back scare, while Tariq Lamptey got 45 minutes under his belt against Swansea in midweek, but Adam Webster is out until after the international break.
Connolly has put himself into contention for a start with his game-winning brace against Swansea, but neither Neal Maupay nor Leandro Trossard are expected to concede their places after impressive individual performances so far this campaign.
MATCH FACTS:
Crystal Palace are unbeaten in the four most recent league meetings (W2, D2), though both victories in this run have come away from home.
Brighton have won just one of their previous seven away fixtures against Crystal Palace but they are unbeaten in their last three games at Selhurst Park.
Palace’s only victory in their past 12 Premier League matches on a Monday was February’s 2-1 win against Brighton (D3, L8).
Brighton could win their opening three away matches in a top-flight season for the first time.
Last season it took Brighton 21 matches to record four league wins.
Wilfried Zaha has scored seven goals against Brighton, the joint highest figure of his career against any side.
Zaha has scored four goals in his last four appearances against the Seagulls at Selhurst Park.
According to TheTelegraph, Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has signalled his intention shift to a more forward-thinking and attack-minded approach for his team in the forthcoming season. A move which could disband the McTominay and Fred midfield pivot that has served the Norwegian well during his time as United boss.
Solskjaer has told those players who have returned to pre-season training that he is eager to implement a more adventurous 4-3-3 formation next term as he bids to end the club’s eight-year title drought.
Solskjaer favoured a double defensive midfield pivot of Fred and McTominay last season and invited criticism at times for being too cautious and defensive. Despite the success of such a setup, United fans will of course be expecting a change of formula next season, hence Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s reported shift in formation and mentality.
The Norwegian’s thinking of a more mobile, dynamic and energetic duo of ‘McFred’ could well have been influenced in part by United’s 6-1 hammering by Tottenham in early October, when a midfield trio of Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic were easily bypassed as Spurs ran riot at Old Trafford, and a desire to afford his central defenders more protection against pace.
However, Solskjaer and his staff are understood to have discussed playing two more forward-thinking midfielders ahead of a single defensive midfielder next season and have raised that possibility with the players this summer.
With the arrival of Jadon Sancho, and hopeful signing of Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane adds pedigree, and additions which are of high quality and perfectionists in their individual roles. For too long United have been made to fill round pegs in square holes, which has hampered their pursuit of the Premier League title, a trophy that has eluded them since 2013.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has been excellent in fixing those issues, but there is indeed more work to be done on a squad that is progressively improving and is also steadily on its way to ideally fitting the Manchester United DNA.
It remains to be seen how adventurous Solskjaer proves to be but he is eager for United to play on the front foot more at home especially, with Old Trafford expected to welcome back capacity crowds next season.
To do that, United do of course need a quality, assured, dynamic and dominant defensive midfielder who is also very good on the ball – similar in the mould of Michael Carrick or Paul Scholes – and is able to progress the ball expertly too, whilst also perfectly fulfilling his screening and shielding duties in front of the back four.
The club have been linked with West Ham captain and England international Declan Rice, however, West Ham continually insist he is not for sale, even a potential swap deal for Jesse Lingard will not be entertained. United also retain an interest in Rennes’ exciting teenage wonderkid Eduardo Camavinga, though his preference is to remain in France, or play in Spain for Real Madrid.
Nemanja Matic, Fred and Scott McTominay have indeed served the club well, but its time for United to go out an address a serious need in that defensive midfield role. All three unfortunately don’t possess the ability or nous to fulfil such a role.
Whether Manchester United have the funds to sign a quality defensive midfielder is unclear, but there is no doubt Solskjaer realizes that in order for his team to progress further this coming season, they must acquire an elite one.
So which players could potentially fit the mould at Old Trafford?
Teun Koopmeiners, AZ Alkmaar
Unquestionably, one of the most exciting and talented young midfielders in Europe right now, Teun Koopmeiners has been one of the hot topic of transfer rumours over the past few months.
Linked with a whole host of top clubs, including Arsenal, Liverpool, AS Roma, Atalanta, Leeds United, Inter Milan, Everton and AS Monaco, the man who joined AZ Alkmaar at 11 appears destined to leave his beloved club. AZ are reportedly resigned to losing him this summer, even for a relatively low fee of around £20million which is pretty much a snip for a player of his stunning qualities.
Having gained so much experience in Europe and domestically over his 150 appearances, there’s no doubting he’s now ready to make the step up to one of the top five European leagues.
First and foremost, Koopmeiners is a leader, a talker and an impressive authoritative figure on the pitch for AZ, and those are the type of players Manchester United need, especially where they are in their evolution under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
The 23-year-ol will bring an assured and dominant presence in front of the back, giving Solskjaer a very very strong spine in his starting line-up. As well as his measured and sturdy characteristics on the pitch, its his qualities on the pitch that makes him the complete package.
Adaptable and familiar with a range of systems, the 23-year-old’s primarily deployed as a central midfielder, but is perfectly capable of dropping back to act as a central defender, where his quality on the ball helps massively during AZ Alkmaar’s build up play.
United require a player who can effortlessly progress the ball and break the lines of play, and Koopmeiners is amongst the best midfielders in Europe in doing just that.
Koopmeiners is a true metronome on the ball, controlling possession, dictating the tempo of games and providing his team with the rhythm they need to breach opposing defences. He also hit an impeccable 17 goals and 7 assists last season with 7 of them from the penalty spot owing to his admirable versatility, technical excellence and a cool head when needed.
So comfortable and composed in possession, his exceptional distribution ensures he’s proficient at dictating passing passages and breathing life into attacks. Such an expert at helping his team beat the press with his penetrative line breaking passing, this means he can remove multiple opponents with a single pass. Not only is he a superb passer of the ball and is hugely reliable off it too.
Combative in the tackle, and a really strong presence when standing up to attackers, averaging 2.7 tackles per game.
How Paul Pogba and Bruno Fernandes would love to play with such a player behind them.
Koopmeiners is a low-risk, low-fee acquisition and is a perfect candidate to fulfil that gaping hole in defensive midfield. He provides security, composure, assuredness and a self-belief that few players in his age bracket could match. He’ll be a very sensible addition for Manchester United, a no-brainer.
Aurelien Tchouameni, AS Monaco
Arguably Ligue 1’s breakout star of the 2020/21 campaign, Monaco’s French under-21 international Aurelien Tchouameni is on his way to worldwide acclaim. He’s been recently talked up by club teammate and Arsenal legend Cesc Fabregas, who said on Twitter that Tchouameni: “has the potential to become the complete midfielder.”
Indeed he is, Tchouameni is an unstoppable force both on and off the ball, and proved a key figure in Monaco’s tremendous first campaign under Niko Kovac where they finished third five points off new champions LOSC Lille.
Tchouameni ranked second in Ligue 1 last season for successful tackles (142), and ranked fourth for interceptions (64). Per 90 minutes, the French wonderkid registered an astonishing 6.06 tackles + interceptions highlighting his dominant and combative defensive contributions. He is an elegant but also a sturdy midfield destroyer, also averaging a tremendous 7.06 successful pressures per 90.
Manchester United need a destroyer, Fred and McTominay have succeeded as a pair performing that demanding role, but none of them can fulfil that role on their own. Tchouameni holds the ability, energy, defensive positioning, and understanding required for the role, despite his tender age of just 21. He would be incredibly much cheaper than main target Declan Rice and will provide Solskjaer with the reliable solid base needed in front of United’s back four.
Not only is he a imposing figure defensively, he’s also a fine progressor of the ball both in his dribbling and in his passing. Capable of breaking lines, to evade pressure and drive his team up the pitch. He averaged 4.06 progressive passes, 4.44 progressive carries, 1.38 carries into the final third and 4.53 final third passes. His key passes is relatively low in comparison to his counterparts (0.50) but that is not a weakness, but is a result of the position he takes up on the pitch, sitting deep and dictating play as well as breaking it up. He does however, contribute much in the attacking sense, recording two goals and 4 assists in Ligue 1 last season.
He would likely cost around £40 million and at the age of 21 he is a prospect worth pursuing, seeing as he’s also reportedly a target for Chelsea. Tchouameni is a future world star, and would represent a quality addition, especially if Manchester United don’t acquire his international teammate Eduardo Camavinga.
Ruben Neves, Wolverhampton Wanderers
Ruben Neves, has reportedly attracted interest from Arsenal over the past few weeks of the window, but now according to TalksSPORT, Manchester United have reportedly stolen a march on the Portuguese midfielder, with international teammate Bruno Fernandes pushing for the club to sign him this summer.
The Portuguese midfielder is Premier League proven, and sometimes doesn’t get the credit he deserves. A few United fans could well state their reservations over signing Neves, which doesn’t make sense. The midfielder is simply good enough to be playing for a top six Premier League club.
Ruben Neves has become a serial leader and a key figure since his move to Wolves in 2017 and he’d be a tremendous capture for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. Superb long-raking passes, vision, technical qualities, good positional awareness, tactical understanding and a desire that so few midfielders can match.
Rúben Neves p90 since making his PL debut:
61.13 attempted passes 50.08 successful passes 18.07 attempted long passes 13.66 successful long passes 10.06 passes into the final third 8.35 ball recoveries 2.29 tackles 2.00 interceptions
Rather than signing a player with no Premier League experience, Neves will provide a ready-made Premier League quality acquisition and a reliable presence in the face of the demands of the English top-flight.
The 25-year-old ranked fifth across the Premier League for tackles won (66) in 2020/21 and also averaged a stunning 6.84 passes into the final third. He would be a welcome upgrade in central midfield for Solskjaer. A player capable of the unimaginative long-raking and eye of the needle passes as well as his scorching efforts from outside the box.
Ruben Neves is certainly ready for that next step in his impressive career.
Yves Bissouma, Brighton
Yves Bissouma has quickly transformed into one of the Premier League’s most destructive midfielders, and any of the top six clubs would do incredibly well in recruiting his services in the near future.
If Solskjaer wasn’t impressed by Bissouma’s performance against his side at Old Trafford earlier this year, then what did he take from that game in April? Yves Bissouma was absolutely tremendous despite Brighton’s close-run defeat, completing six interceptions and winning three tackles.
However, that performance is a reflection of his growth, maturity and dominance all throughout last season. Bissouma is unquestionably one of the best defensive midfielders in the English top-flight. The Malian international made the 2nd most tackles (114), won the 2nd most tackles (74), the seventh most interceptions (60) and committed the fourth most fouls (54) in the Premier League.
You don’t need to read into that too much to understand his important and decisive defensive contributions. He is simply outstanding. He is, like the other players on this list, so good on the ball as well as he is off it. Bissouma averaged 3.55 final third passes, 3.29 progressive passes, completing 88.7% of his distributions. Bissouma is also a unstoppable freight train when moving with the ball at his feet, evading opposition pressure and providing a much needed outlet for Brighton’s build-up play, averaging 4.54 progressive carries, whilst also recording 1.45 successful dribbles.
Bissouma has swiftly morphed into the complete midfield package in the Premier League, and its equally impressive considering how he started out in the English game. How Manchester United could do with his destructive presence in midfield. The 24-year-old looks primed for a big move and passing up on him could be a mistake.
Boubacar Kamara, Olympique de Marseille
The Red Devils’ search for a quality number six has been well documented, and Marseille’s talented 21-year-old defensive midfielder Boubacar Kamara could provide the ideal solution to the McFred pivot problem. He betters both this season in terms of goal-creating actions (seven), press success rate (35%), progressive dribbles (128) and aerial duel win rate (63%).
Of course, team style and its influence on player outputs must be accounted for, but given he is younger than both and currently statistically outperforming them, the potential long-term value in this signing is huge. It also is valuable that he clocked considerably more minutes than both, as player availability is key currently, and avoiding injuries/burnout in a congested season speaks volumes about the resilience of a player.
United’s problem this season just gone was certainly keeping goals out – Spurs (45) were the only of the super league clubs to conceded more than Solskjaer’s side (44), and they ranked in the bottom six Premier League sides for tackles and pressures in the midfield third, an area where Kamara thrives. StatsBomb data also has United as the third most dispossessed side in the league last season, so the Frenchman could offer some much needed security in-possession.
A superb ball-winner in multiple forms – a presser, dueler and interceptor – but also as comfortable against the press as he is when pressing himself. The 21-year-old is typically Marseille’s deepest midfielder in-possession, comfortable in drawing opponents in through ball retention, then bypassing them through silky footwork or combinations with teammates.
He’s certainly the most risky, outside bet on this list of potential solutions for Manchester United’s lack of a capable defensive midfielder, but he’s a player worth looking at to fill the void. He’d be very cost-effective too, considering his remarkable potential and room to become one of the best in Europe in his position.
Wimar Barrios, Zenit St Petersburg
Every top club in Europe needs a defensive midfielder who just loves to screen and protect, to do the dirty work, to be destructible. Manchester United have not possessed a player of that ilk since the legendary Paul Scholes or even Roy Keane.
It was the hallmark of Sir Alex Ferguson’s teams, to have that perfect balance between defence and attack, someone who can destroy in the middle of the park, and then allow his more forward thinking teammates to run amok in attack. What was it that Sir Alex famously said back then? “Attack wins you games, defence wins you titles.”
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is indeed looking to address that lack in his squad for next season, with the pursuit of Raphael Varane, and a quality, elite defensive midfielder will do to, and that brings us to Zenit St Petersburg’s tremendous Columbian destroyer Wilmar Barrios. The 27-year-old is the archetypal midfield destroyer and more.
Barrios has arguably been Columbia’s most important player since his international debut in 2017 and has been a dominant and destructive presence in Zenit’s team, one which has triumphed in the Russian division for three seasons in a row. Much of that has been down to Barrios’ consistency, leadership, and complete performances in front of his back four. It’s a shame, his high levels of consistency has somewhat gone under the radar for too long, and its only right he is placed on this list as a man who could solve United’s deficiencies in the middle of the park.
Barrios is a player with such unerring, wiry strength, great recovery pace and a pure destroyer in midfield. He is indeed a modern day Roy Keane. According to Wyscout, Barrios averages an astonishing 13.4 successful defensive actions per90, whether its a tackle (2.3 per game), an interception (1.8 per game), a pressure or an aerial duel, also he only gets dribbled past 0.6 times per game meaning he is incredibly difficult to get past when attacking. He is a defensive machine.
He also wins 66% of his defensive duels, which is second amongst any defensive midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues. Barrios, as well as his defensive contributions, is also a good ball-progressor too either with his passing or his line-breaking runs evading pressure and operating in tight areas, he is unstoppable when performing these actions making him a perfect Premier League defensive midfielder.
At 27, he’s entering his prime years but also has such prestige experience and history in his career already, winning titles with Boca Juniors and Zenit St Petersburg throughout his impressive career. He’s the perfect candidate, at the perfect age to drive United forward once again.
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