Brighton & Hove Albion: What Makes Them Successful in the Premier League

The end of 2022 was marked by the holding of the World Cup in Qatar, and 2023 began with the resumption of the best European soccer leagues. The Premier League returned with Arsenal looking set to win the league after 19 years. With this scenario, one of the teams that has managed to confirm the great work it has done in recent years is Brighton & Hove Albion. It's a team that has six South American soccer players and currently ranks sixth in the competition with 34 units, a result of ten wins, four draws and six losses.

Results That Impact

In the 20 games that Brighton has played in this Premier League, they have achieved quite surprising results. That scores manage to explain, in part, the position the team occupy in the table. In their debut, they defeated Manchester United 2-1 at the legendary Old Trafford, with a performance that seemed to be a harbinger of how the season would unfold. Subsequently, they have managed to draw 3-3 against Liverpool on a visit, thrash the same rival 3-0 and clearly beat Chelsea 4-1.

With respect to domestic cups, it has not been out of tune with its most prestigious rivals, either. For the third round of the League Cup, they beat Arsenal 1-3 with goals from Welbeck, Mitoma and Lamptey. On January 29, they defeated Liverpool 2-1 in the agony for the fourth round of the FA Cup, with a goal in discounts from the Japanese Kaoru Mitoma. Which shows that against teams of the feared “Big Six” can compete without problems.

The Presence of a World Champion and the South American "Band"

Brighton's current moment cannot be explained without talking about the importance of the South American presence. Alexis Mac Allister, Moisés Caicedo, Pervis Estupiñán, Jeremy Sarmiento, Julio Enciso, and Facundo Buonanotte make up the "South American band", with a world champion among them. Alexis Mac Allister was one of the great revelations of the last World Cup and established himself as world champion with Argentina. The midfielder stands out for his punching, driving and reaching the rival area. Add five goals in 17 games played in this Premier.

But Mac Allister is not the only South American footballer to stand out at Brighton, the Ecuadorians Caicedo, Estupiñán and Sarmiento also do it. In the case of Moisés Caicedo, 21, he stayed at Brighton, despite Arsenal's interest in the past winter market. For now, Brighton will be able to continue enjoying one of the midfielders with the greatest projection worldwide. Estupiñán is a winger with an enviable and decisive offensive capacity, and as the games progress, Sarmiento begins to gain more and more prominence.

The Paraguayan Julio Enciso and the Argentine Facundo Bounanotte must not be left out of mention either. The midfielder Enciso was sold to Brighton at just 18 years old (he is currently 19 years old) and already has some appearances with his shirt. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Bounanotte, who performed inferiors in Rosario Central, made his debut with the "seaguls" in the 1-0 win against Bournemouth on date 22 of the Premier League on February 4. On this occasion, he left positive numbers: 15 minutes played, eight touches, a key pass and five of six passes completed.

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A Consolidated Project

In the 2017-2018 season, Brighton managed to play in the Premier League for the first time in its history, and from then on it has always managed to remain in the top flight of English soccer. Between the 2017-2018 and 2020–2021 seasons, it was ranked between fifteenth and seventeenth place. For the 2021-2022 season, in a historic ninth place and currently, as mentioned above, it is in sixth place. Graham Potter was his coach from the 2019-2020 season until September 8, when he took over as Chelsea's technical director, and the Italian Roberto De Zerbi took over as his replacement.

With De Zerbi at the helm (former coach of Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk) it was shown that Brighton has a consolidated project. Over the years, coaches and players have left. For example, the Belgian Leandro Trossard signed with Arsenal in the last winter market. However, Brighton has not stopped growing as a club. De Zerbi's team is committed to having the ball, building plays from their goalkeeper, with open and projected full-backs, and thus generating multiple goal opportunities. It is a risky bet, but this team has assimilated it well. The style of play is becoming more and more recognizable and the results are plain to see.

Kaoru Mitoma, a Differential Footballer

The 25-year-old Japanese footballer Kaoru Mitoma has become one of the most outstanding footballers on the team. The left-winger, who played in the last World Cup with Japan, possesses enviable dribbling, speed and hitting ability. His six goals and two assists in 17 appearances support it. If he continues with that level, it is possible that the best teams in the country will look for him in the coming months. Another aspect to highlight is that he signed for three million euros, which shows Brighton's great management capacity when it comes to making transfers. This may well explain the success the club has achieved.