This was one of the best days the AMEX has ever seen; as Brighton put three past Liverpool and move up to seventh in the Premier League. However, it was a tough learning curve for Liverpool, who really struggled against Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton.
Solly March scored twice in a fantastic game of football and these were the four key things we learnt:
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Roberto De Zerbi has Solly March firing
Roberto De Zerbi has got the winger in fine form. Solly March has played 197 Premier League games during his career, and in that time he has notched up 12 goals and 18 assists.
In just his last four games in the league, March has scored four goals and assisted three, and alongside this also got one assist in the FA cup 3rd round against Middlesborough.
De Zerbi has got March playing with confidence and his second goal today epitomized this. Before the Southampton game on Boxing Day, the winger seemed almost allergic to goals and could have been on his way out of the team after not scoring a goal all season, and missing a penalty in the shootout against Charlton in the League Cup.
His confidence must have dropped and under a worse manager, he may have been out of the starting 11. However, De Zerbi saw his quality, giving him the freedom and confidence to play, and since his wonder goal against Southampton, he has looked like a completely different player.
De Zerbi has March playing on the shoulder of the left back with the idea of running in behind defences, cutting onto his dangerous left foot in search of a goal or assist. Against Liverpool, we saw this but an even more improved version, March was Brighton’s highest player on the pitch as well as playing quite centrally and this contributed in large part to why he scored two goals.
He is also now making runs across the defensive line and this was notable today. The quality Brighton has in the middle of the pitch means passes such as these will often be played, causing Liverpool all kinds of issues this afternoon.
Had March stayed on side, one of these runs would also possibly have culminated in a penalty, whilst the other led to March’s second goal. This type of movement is the mark of a great winger and will give the 28-year-old many more goals if he can keep this up.
In past seasons under Graham Potter, March was deployed as a wing-back, seriously impacting his goal-scoring ability by being so deep. Now, he finds himself as one of the most important players going forwards.
His ability to take on his man and get to the by-line to deliver a good cross is one of the reasons he is so good in this position. Now by adding goals to his game, he could become a serious threat to all defences in the country and will be a key part of Brighton’s success in the future.
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Levi Colwill is the real deal
Levi Colwill showed his true class today and looked superb. The defender oozed class through his partnership with Lewis Dunk at the heart of the Brighton defence. Brighton deployed a man-to-man approach when defending and Colwill had perhaps the toughest task of all, having to contain Mohammed Salah - something he did extremely well.
Brighton has had a lot of top-quality defenders over the years and consequently has had an impressive defensive record. If they can sign Levi Colwill on a permanent he could become the best they have ever had in that position.
He made Salah look very average today by using his immense strength and size, meaning the Egyptian was extremely ineffective against the Albion. Neither Salah nor Trent Alexander-Arnold successfully dribbled past Colwill, coping with the threat that both players posed well. Moreover, he made a total of seven recoveries and three clearances.
Another reason why Colwill would bolster Brighton’s defence is that when he wins the ball, he looks to keep it rather than just clear it and wait for another attack.
Levi Colwill has clearly brought into De Zerbi’s play style. Whenever he is on the ball, he puts his foot on to slow the game down and instigate a press for the Seagulls to play through.
He also has a brilliant ability to play through the lines and put up two key passes, one being a big chance for Kauro Mitoma. Furthermore, he played two accurate long balls out of three and if Brighton is serious about going to the next level, they should look to bring him in on a permanent transfer in the summer.
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Jurgen Klopp has a completely different system
Last year, Liverpool was an exciting, dynamic team that posed a real threat to any team. Against Brighton, however, they were slow and sluggish and showed no creativity.
The average position of Liverpool’s midfield three throughout the game were in a group virtually in the centre of the pitch. Quite different to their title-charging season last year, when they was far more balanced and widely spread across the field of play.
This allowed the fullbacks to push further forwards as there was more protection on the wings. They also had one member of the midfield three pressing the defence and trying to win the ball back high up. This was completely absent today as Brighton was free to pull apart the Liverpool midfield and isolate their fullbacks.
Another stark contrast was the average positions of the forwards. Salah moved back about 10 yards and was level with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (the other winger) and both had very narrow average positions throughout the game. So much so, that they played within the width of the centre circle. This made it very easy for the Brighton defenders.
Previously, when Mane had played out on the left, they would spread the play and create gaps in the defence which they would exploit, helping them score many goals. The diversity that Mane offered by running at defences with the ball and Salah running in behind was not to be seen today.
Another key difference is Fabinho. In their 4-0 victory against Arsenal last season, Fabinho was involved in eight ground duels. Today, he made just three, and made fewer than half the passes he made last season against Arsenal.
This shows how integral Fabinho used to be to Jurgen Klopp and how when he is off the pace Liverpool tends to be as well. He would cover their defence as if he was a piece of armour and he no longer provides that coverage.
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Liverpool really misses Virgil Van Dijk
Van Dijk’s absence was clear for all to see today. Usually, he would play as a sweeper and in a slightly deeper than the rest of the back line, allowing his centre-back partner to be more aggressive.
Ibrahima Konate and Joel Matip were both clearly used to that as they were making a lot of tackles in an attempt to win the ball but they didn’t have the cover that van Dijk normally provides. The line was flat and both defenders were exposed due to the runs in behind from Kauro Mitoma and Solly March.
For Brighton’s second goal, March got himself into a position which Van Dijk would usually occupy. His ability on the ball and experience could have also meant that the first goal was avoidable by offering a better option for Matip to pass to.
Van Dijk’s absence could have also contributed to troubles at the other end of the pitch, as he is able to resuscitate Liverpool's attacks by winning the ball back off of the clearances. Brighton cleared the ball away a few times and Liverpool’s defence was unable to win it back, so Brighton could start their attacks higher up the pitch.
As well as this, Van Dijk has a superb passing range of his own and is usually capable of starting attacks by playing a long diagonal ball. This could have spread the Brighton defence and created more chances for the Liverpool front three.
His absence was clear to see when he got his ACL injury in 2020 and it was no different today. Whilst he may not have been the only reason Liverpool lost, it certainly was a key factor.