The squad led by Roberto De Zerbi finished the season in sixth place, a position that grants acess to the European Competitions. In terms of coaching, with Graham Potter’s departure for Chelsea, Roberto De Zerbi was hired and managed to change the team from a Back 5 formation to a Back 4 formation. Brighton, after the change, managed to present an attractive and attacking football. To understand the individual impact of the player to this team, we present the average ratings of the players in a Back 4 (primary formation) and in a Back 5. In addition, this players must meet the necessary minutes requirement to be considered (minimum 450 minutes played in the season in a type of predefined defense: Back 4 or Back 5).
Brighton’s eleven with the most minutes played this season (Premier League).
Star Player:
- P. Groß (M&W) – 7.95
In this squad, Brighton’s versatile player – Pascal Groß – was the player with the highest average rating. Being a player that can play almost all positions, Groß had a great impact in midfield and on the wing, helping Brighton reach European Competitions.
Other Key Players:
- S. March (M&W) – 7.80
- L. Dunk (CB) – 7.74
- M. Caicedo (M) – 7.60
- Mac Allister (M&W) – 7.46
- K. Mitoma (W) – 7.44
With a lot of players having incredible seasons, we need emphasise the average rating obtained by P. Groß, the German multi-purpose player.
Additional information regarding the team (Primeira Liga).
With more positive results at home than away (10 Home Wins & 8 Away Wins), it is possible to consider Brighton a better team when playing at home. Besides that, the positive goal difference highlights the great offensive output (1,89 goal per game) with a not so good defensive setup (1,39 goals per game).
Brighton’s players in a Back 5 Defense (Minimum 450 minutes played in this competition).
In the 2022-2023 Season, Brighton used the Back 5 in the start of the season. The obvious distinctions from the Graham Potter phase goes to Pascal Groß and Mac Allister, players that obtained average ratings in the range of only the best players in their positions.
Positions most in need of strengthening:
- FB and GK;
With a lack of players with good average ratings in this positions, Brighton needs to reinforce their squad in the Goalkeeper and Right-Back positions. If Brighton can reinforce these positions, keeping a large part of the squad, it is possible that they could fight, again, for European qualification.
Meaning of the used abbreviations:
- G – Games
- W – Wins
- D – Draws
- L – Loses
- P – Points
- GS – Goals Scored
- GA – Goals Against
- GD – Goal Diference
- HW – Home Wins
- AW – Away Wins
Data from FBref.