Brighton vs. Arsenal: Gunners’ biggest test so far | OneFootball

An irresistible force meets an immovable oject when Premier League leaders Arsenal travel to Brighton.

The Seagulls are the league’s top scorers with 13 goals from four games, while Mikel Arteta’s men boast the meanest defence, having conceded just one league goal so far this season.

This is likely to be Arsenal’s biggest test of the season so far.

Two in-form teams

Both teams have started the season well.

Reigning champions Arsenal have enjoyed the perfect start with four wins from four, while Brighton, who qualified for the Europa Conference League last season after an impressive seventh placed finish, currently sit fifth with two wins and a draw to their name.

The Gunners were forced to dig deep at Sunderland last weekend but still came away with an impressive 2-0 victory. The game was turned on its head in the space of a couple of second half minutes, David Raya’s impressive penalty save followed soon after by a stunning Bruno Guimaraes goal that putting the visitors ahead.

They followed that up by beating Ipswich 4-2 on Tuesday night to reach the fourth round of the EFL Cup, giving them a good opportunity to give some of the reserves a runout.

Brighton go into the game full of confidence after an excellent week. After a fantastic 5-0 away win at Coventry last Sunday, in the midweek EFL cup game they turned round a 2-0 deficit against Manchester United at Old Trafford to win 3-2, the first team since 1984 to do that.

Fabian Hürzeler’s Seagulls have built a reputation as one of the most organized and fluid teams in the league.

Arsenal’s defensive problems?

Not a problem in that they don’t concede goals, but an injury problem is mounting up at the back. William Saliba is out long term, Ben White – who has been filling in for the injured Jurriën Timber, picked up a groin injury last week and Christian Mosquera hasn’t yet recovered from a muscle strain.

Timber has just returned to action, playing the second half at the Stadium of Light. He was left out of the EFL Cup squad and Arsenal fans will be hoping he’s fit enough to start. If not, Martin Zubimendi may fill in as a stopgap.

Guimarães might come in for his first league start following his move from Newcastle, while Kai Havertz’s fine form is expected to see him retain his place up front.

Seagull’s players grab their chance

With several injuries affecting the Brighton squad, players like Malick Yalcouye and Maxim De Cuyper have stepped up big time. De Cuyper, a defender being given a much more advanced role, has particularly caught the eye with three goals and three assists this season.

Pascal Groß has two assists and two goals while even centre back Lewis Dunk got in on the act last weekend with a 25 yard stunner against Coventry.

Tactics: Brighton

Hürzeler has built a fluid, progressive approach with players often finding themselves out of traditional positions.

To allow them to play out from the back, midfielders drop and rotate with centre halves. A midfielder will drop, and if an opposition player follows, a centre half will move forward into the space vacated by his teammate.

They like to draw opposition players in before quickly rotating the ball into midfield and then attack at pace.

For this to work, it needs players flooding into space and the ball moving quickly up the pitch. This means midfielders move wide, attackers drop into the empty central areas and defenders find themselves in high up the pitch as they try to overload in attacking areas.

This often leaves them in a sort of 2-5-3 formation, which with eight players in attacking areas created a lot of opportunity.

The downside is that it leaves them vulnerable to a swift counter.

Tactics: Arsenal

Similarly, you never know where Arsenal are going to hit you from next. Their full backs have become one of their most potent attacking weapons, not just traditionally wide but moving inside into midfield and high goal scoring positions.

They have extreme talent on the wings and like to overload one side with a midfielder, winger and full back, which drags the opposition defence over, before switching quickly to the other to isolate what’s left of their opponent’s defence.

Havertz has been playing as a deeper lying 9, dropping into space to allow third man runners like Martin Ødegaard, who is in the best form of his life.

Like Brighton, in possession Arteta abandons the traditional back four in favour of pushing defenders up and overwhelming the opposition.

Out of possession, one goal conceded tells it’s own story. Deploying a solid 4 and 4 mid to low block, organisation coupled with outstanding individual talent in players like Gabriel and Raya makes them so difficult to break down.

Add to their incredible dead ball capabilities, it’s easy to see why they’re the best team in the country.

Prediction

Arsenal have the upper hand in recent fixtures, and won home and away last season. Expect them to be given a very stern test, but one they will come through.

Key will be controlling the centre of the pitch, stifling Brighton’s ability to flood forward and keeping the league’s top scorers at bay well outside their goal area. Set pieces might also be key for the Champions.

A tight game, I expect Brighton to give it a real go, and they will target Arsenal’s right back area, but the age old classic 1-0 to the Arsenal is looking likely.