Brighton & Hove Albion manager Graham Potter is expecting his side to improve in the final third after watching the Seagulls play out a lacklustre 0-0 draw at Newcastle United to extend their unbeaten run in the Premier League to five games.
Albion host Aston Villa tomorrow in the first round of the Carabao Cup followed by league fixtures against Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur and Potter is hoping the squad can regain their scoring form in time for those games.
Potter wants performance levels to be "maintained"
He began by saying "we're disappointed because we came away from home, created some good opportunities but didn't score the goal, which is always the most difficult thing to do in football, but if we can maintain and improve the performance levels, then I think that final part comes."
Potter conceded "there's sometimes a little bit of luck involved. The more you get into the final third, the more you can develop your final-third attacking play." He also acknowledged "we've been competitive in all of the games so far --- we just need to take that next step."
Burn stars in return to hometown
The Brighton chief made three changes to the starting 11 that took the pitch at Newcastle, with several different players shifting into different positions. He said "you don't want to put players in positions where they're not comfortable, that's for sure. I look at the players in training, look at the requirements from a tactical perspective and see if their profile fits."
He singled out defender Dan Burn, who was making a homecoming, the Newcastle native praised for his efforts at St. James' Park: "It wasn't easy for Dan on Saturday for example, but he stuck at his task well against a couple of wide players who were pretty fast. He did very well and gives us good balance down that left-hand side of the pitch."