The reaction of the Albion players said it all at Selhurst Park on Saturday, after a disappointing 1-1 draw left fans wanting more, as a dominant display against their bitter rivals was not enough to come away with all three points... and even more valuable bragging rights. Lamptey was left out of the starting eleven, as Joël Veltman was the chosen one, who adds valuable ‘big game’ experience.
Lamptey replaced Adam Webster at the 76th-minute mark and linked up excellently with the in-form Solly March for the final 15 minutes – and created some good chances in the process. Everything about Lamptey’s recent form shows signs of the first time that Albion fans could lay sight on the ex-Chelsea man.
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What once was...
Tariq Lamptey quickly became a fan favourite in 2020, as for the first time in the Premier League, Brighton fans were able to watch a dynamic, exciting, and rapid new footballer. Lamptey set the bar very high at Brighton, very early on, and since his injury, has led fans to believe that he could have peaked too soon, and be one that loses all ability through injuries. Of course, this is not the case. Perhaps, Tariq Lamptey was prone to losing some confidence when taking on players, and understandably so with the amount of time missed through horror injuries. One thing rings true, and that is “class is permanent”. The aforementioned 2020 form was enough to substitute a red-hot Allan Saint-Maximin after just 30 minutes of football at St James’ Park, and tear apart almost every defence that he played against in the same period, it was a luxury to be able to witness such a skillset.
VAVEL spoke to Roberto De Zerbi prior to the Crystal Palace fixture over his form's resurgence and importance to the team. He said: “Tariq is another important player for us, he is different to Joel Veltman and Pascal Gross – when Pascal has played in that position. He is playing well and can play higher on that side of the game. He can play in different positions; I am happy about his performances.”
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"Tariq is different"
Tariq is different to his other options in his position, as De Zerbi rightfully mentions. He is able to diversify both the Albion defence and attack. De Zerbi’s tactics allow space for pace, with the likes of Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March recently profiting from them. The patience in Pervis Estupiñan and Lewis Dunk’s passing particularly allows these technically gifted players to create space behind a wonderfully talented Brighton midfield. Moisés Caicedo links together these passages extremely well, in a traditional De Zerbi-esque ‘double pivot’ with Alexis Mac Allister. This system has worked a charm so far, as mentioned across the football world, and Lamptey might be the next to prosper. He is not only good offensively, but strong in the tackle, and reads the game very well – as seen recently against Liverpool in the giant FA Cup win. De Zerbi’s football philosophy of the ever-critiqued ‘breaking the lines’ and patient play suits a player of Lamptey’s calibre to a tee, and perhaps the extra boost of confidence which has been so desperately needed to kickstart his career again. Fan's expectations have also changed since Project Restart, with people quickly realising form will inevitably drop, especially after the injury problems. Let’s not forget, there were rumours of the Albion wing-back being available for a loan only a few weeks ago!
De Zerbi went on to praise his players when in conversation with VAVEL, as he said:
“I would like in every game my players to show their quality, for me this is enough. I believe in my players, and I think when they are able to play 100% of their quality and potential; I have confidence [in the whole team].” We all know Tariq Lamptey has an incredibly high ceiling, tainted by a false narrative over a difficult long injury problem... it will take time, and it will be by no means a simple task; but with the help of an Italian mastermind, we could well be seeing a return of the very finest of our kid from Cobham.