Beyond The Score

Getty Embeddable Images : by David Horton

Brighton continued their perfect start under Fabian Hurzeler as they overcame Manchester United by two goals to one thanks to a last-minute winner by Joao Pedro. It leaves them level at the top of the table with Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool, the only other sides sides to remain with a 100% record.

Individual defensive errors cost United Again

The first goal exposed a frequent issue at Manchester United: the inability to defend at a basic level.

Joao Pedro picks up the ball in acres of space outside the Manchester United box. He isn’t on the edge but is near enough to deliver a dangerous cross. He probably can’t believe his luck. Without any pressure whatsoever he can deliver a cross into the danger area which defenders and goalkeepers hate. That area around the penalty circle between the defensive line and the goal is tough to defend. It causes confusion, it’s unclear who should go for the ball.

It’s difficult for Maguire and Onana to defend. With Welbeck and Hinshelwood as runners, the situation is incredibly dangerous. You have to question the positioning of Diogo Dalot. While he has certainly been one of Erik Ten Haag’s top performers, here it’s unexplainably amateur.

The Portuguese doesn’t pick anyone up and is so wide that Lisandro Martinez cannot block off the crossing lane, as he would leave a massive gap of space for James Milner to run into.

The cross misses everyone and reaches Mitoma. One-one-one, he is one of the most dangerous players in the league. He plays the ball across the face of goal to an unmarked Danny Welbeck.

Maguire is wrong footed leaving a clear passing lane available. This comes back to the poor positioning of Dalot though. Had he been tighter from the beginning, then Martinez could have shifted along and covered Welbeck, with the confidence that Minteh was marked by Dalot. Instead, he finds himself in no man’s land trying to stop both, it’s impossible to be in two places at once.

It was an ugly catalogue of errors.

The issue for Man United is that this isn’t a one-off occurrence. Sure, when an individual makes such a basic error, it feels harsh to blame Erik Ten Hag. Surely a professional should instinctively complete basics, coaches work off that assumption. Yet, when these errors occur time and time again, ultimately the buck stops with the man in the dugout. It’s an unwelcome pattern that has developed under his reign. Three seasons into the job, this shouldn’t be happening anymore.

The Brighton High Line

Under Hurzeler’s guidance, Brighton’s defensive structure has changed. They are less aggressive in their pressing, however play with a much higher defensive line. As with any structure, this has its risks and its benefits.

We saw its benefits, particularly in the first half. The Red Devils were caught offside on six occasions and lacked the creativity to break down such a compact structure from the seagulls.

The drawback for Brighton was the space they left on the flanks and in behind. They were highly reliant on solid one-to-one defending. However as Manchester United’s equaliser reveals, this can be exploited. Mazraoui plays a pass in behind the Brighton defence for Diallo. The Ivorian shows quality and pace that the Brighton backline cannot deal with.

A Laughable Late Winner

When you look at the defensive structure here, the first question is: what defensive structure? This still frame is as bizarre as you’re ever likely to see at the elite level of football. Adingra has possession of the ball inside the penalty area as the seagulls push for a late winner. Like Pedro earlier, he probably can’t believe his luck as all six of the reds in the box get drawn towards the ball.

I repeat: all six.

All it takes is one cross to eliminate every United player and provide a grateful Pedro with an easy header. While the earlier conceded goal was an individual error from Diogo Dalot, this was a structural issue.

An Impressive start from Brighton

Just how does Brighton do it? Year after year they lose their top players, their managers and their technical staff yet seem to reproduce a similar product. Since August 2021, Ben White, Dan Burn, Marc Cucurella, Yves Bissouma, Leandro Trossard, Moises Caicedo, Alex Mac Allister, and Robert Sanchez have all left for a combined £315 million.

For many clubs, this would be the start of a downfall. How often do we see a team outside the traditional Big Six overachieve for a period before regressing back to the mean? Leicester and West Ham are prominent examples.

An established mid-table side, Brighton are now using that money wisely. Instead of regressing, they are growing. This window they have racked up £28 million in outgoings including Denis Undav and Pascal Gros. Meanwhile, Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh, Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Matt O’Riley, Ibrahim Osman and Malick Junior Yalcouye have been bought for a combined £170 million. To put it in perspective, for Brighton to reach the £170 million spending mark you have to combine the previous six windows.

There has been a transformation on the pitch as well. Roberto De Zerbi’s total-football style was applauded during his two-year tenure at the AmEx. However, it became predictable and rather easy to play against. Hurzeler brings a fresh and more direct style to the forefront. The midfield is more spread out and focused on getting to the goal quicker rather than drawing the opposition to their own goal and playing through them. It’s stereotypical to say, but they are certainly playing a more German style of football. Energy is the emphasis over precision.

Getty Embeddable by Eddie Keogh

A Mixed Bag in Manchester

In terms of build-up, Manchester United look more dangerous than last season. This is partly due to a change in personnel, but also a more structured midfield.

The trio in the middle of the park are tighter together and the eleven move up and down the park as a unit. This is unlike last season when gaping holes in the midfield were continuously present.

Yet as mentioned , there are still clear defensive issues. Mazraoui and De Ligt should prove a clever double signing from Bayern Munich, but there is still a lack of consistency at the back.

Erik Ten Haag is three seasons into his tenure and still doesn’t know his favoured back four. This is simply not how a top team operates. Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool all have a first-choice and consistent defence. Forming partnerships is essential at the back, chopping and changing only confuses.

Getty Embeddable by Eddie Keogh

Next week Manchester United welcome Arne Slot’s Liverpool meanwhile Brighton face a trip to the Emirates to face Arsenal. Can either side cause an upset?