Preview Panel - Brighton

Welcome back to the Preview Panel! Ahead of Sunday’s Premier League clash against Brighton, we talk to 1984 UEFA Cup winner Gary Stevens, who began his career at Brighton, broadcaster and journalist Vaishali Bhardwaj and presenter and Brighton fan Jules Breach.

Introducing the panel...

Gary Stevens - Gary began his career at Brighton and played in the FA Cup Final in 1983 before joining Spurs ahead of the 1983/84 season. He went on to play 200 times for us, lifting the UEFA Cup in 1984, before moving to Portsmouth in 1990. Gary earned seven England caps including two in the 1986 World Cup Finals. Now based in Thailand, Gary is a UEFA Pro Licence coach and a regular pundit on Astro Supersport in Malaysia.

Jules Breach - Jules is a Brighton fan and presenter at BT Sport, Optus Sport and the Premier League, and has recently started hosting a Champions League show for CBS. You can also listen to her on the Football Ramble podcast.

Vaishali Bhardwaj - A familiar face at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and around the Premier League, Vaishali is a football broadcaster for the Premier League and BBC, and a writer for The Guardian.

What are your thoughts on Spurs so far this season?

Gary: “If you look at the league position (ahead of this weekend’s games), we're fifth in the table, two points behind the leaders and with the best goal difference. It’s very easy to look back, and after the first game of the season, it was really flat, but it’s a lot more buoyant now. Having got through the qualifiers and into the group stage of the Europa League, a good first win, a little disappointing against Antwerp, but still in a strong position. We are all too quick to judge by the moment, by the game. After the Everton game, 'no chance'. Now, look at the league position. Can we get through all those European qualifiers? Yes, and now sat second in the group, and if we finish second - and I think we’ll still finish top - you go through. It’s about getting out of the group. I think it’s looking positive. Don’t forget progress in the League Cup, as well.”

Vaishali: “Overall, it’s been good. I think the team recovered really well from the defeat against Everton and the draw against Newcastle. The week before the last international break was the highlight when you beat Chelsea in the League Cup, and the 7-2 win over Maccabi Haifa, that gave the players a lot of confidence, and then, of course, the 6-1 win at Old Trafford. That was a fantastic week for the club. The focus is balancing defence with attack. I was at the game against West Ham, and Spurs were incredible going forward, really bright, really positive, but then conceding the three goals at the end, the issue was managing the game better. We saw that at Burnley, by grinding out the result there it showed you can be defensively solid. It’s about that balance, scoring goals and being defensively solid. Obviously the loss against Royal Antwerp was disappointing, but the good news for Jose Mourinho is that he has a lot of options and he can change formations with players like Sergio Reguilon in the squad, he can have that 4-3-3, switch to a back five, for example, 3-4-3... he can change things up, and I think there will be changes after Antwerp!”

What about Brighton’s start to 2020/21?

Gary: “I think they are playing a really good brand of football. Like a lot of people, after the great job Chrissie Hughton did to get them into the Premier League and then keep them in the Premier League, I was surprised, but I believe that Graham Potter has taken the football they play to another level. So far this season, they haven’t picked up the points that the quality of their play has deserved. If you are not careful, you find yourselves in a position where you’re playing quite nicely, creating chances, but, actually, you need to put points on the board.”

Vaishali: “I think Brighton have performed really well this season and not necessarily got the results to match those performances. They played really well against Chelsea, but still lost, scored three goals against Newcastle and then the defeat against United, which was madness! They hit the woodwork several times! They are performing well, so Graham Potter will be positive about that. The team has got used to his style of play, having worked with him for over a season. The issue is converting that possession into chances, and then goals. One positive to note - they have scored in every Premier League game this season."

What are you expecting on Sunday?

Gary: “Brighton will come and play football. They play an open, adventurous style of football, which has to be applauded. Obviously, Lewis Dunk is still suspended, and that’s a big blow for Brighton. They have some real quality in wide positions that maybe not too many people know about. Solly March, for instance, has come through the ranks and is a really talented player. He operates on the left. I like Leandro Trossard, an elegant player, and Argentinian international Alexis Mac Allister, so they’ve got some really good players and Spurs will have to be on top of their game, without a doubt.”

Vaishali: “It’s a really interesting game. Brighton will come and play and look to dominate possession. I think it will be intriguing to see how Tottenham react to the defeat against Antwerp. There will be changes, that’s clear, and they will have that extra motivation (a), after that loss and (b), it’s the first home league game since that draw against West Ham, so it’s about getting a win on home soil. What could be key is concentration, staying switched on for the 90 minutes, but still being free and confident to go forward and score goals. I don’t think that will be so much of a problem with Son and Kane in such fine form. I wouldn’t put it past those two to combine again! Brighton are dangerous though and, as I mentioned, they have scored in every Premier League game this season.”

View from Brighton...

What have you made of Brighton’s start to the season?
Jules: “You are asking me this off the back of the draw against West Brom (1-1 on Monday). If you’d asked me before that, my answer might have been different. That result was disappointing because, up to then, the performances have been there, the results haven’t, but it’s still been positive. It felt like West Brom was the game to then win and kick us on. Now it feels like a disappointing start, whereas a week ago, it was positive. There are positives to take, but we’re all disappointed with the points on the board because it doesn’t reflect what we’ve seen on the pitch.”

How will Graham Potter approach Sunday’s game, and who should we look out for?
Jules: “He will approach this in the same way he approaches every game. He will stick to three at the back, wing-backs pushing on, a fluid style of football, a possession-based game. Brighton will want to have a lot of the ball and try to have as many shots as possible, as we have in every game, but not with the amount of goals we should have scored. The one real disappointment is we’re without Lewis Dunk, who is still suspended, and losing your captain for a game as big as this is potentially damaging. He’s a quality player but also captain, and Brighton’s form without him isn’t great. He’s so important. In terms of players to watch, if you look back to last season and our 3-0 win against Spurs, Aaron Connolly was brilliant, and his pace to run in behind, that could be something Brighton will look to do with the likes of Tariq Lamptey and Solly March as well. Everyone has been talking about Tariq Lamptey and maybe Solly March has gone under the radar a little down the left. He’s been really impressive this season. Leandro Trossard as well, one of my favourite players, he always looks a threat. It will also be interesting to see if he uses Danny Welbeck in this game.”

Any Brighton-Spurs memories?
Jules: “I’ve got to go back to the 3-0 win last season, haven’t I? It’s the most recent memory, but the best one! It just feels like a very different era at Tottenham. Now you look at this Tottenham team and we’re going to face a side that is so confident, scoring goals for fun, Kane and Son in electric form, it’s not a good time for Brighton to face Tottenham! But it’s football, and you never know what might happen on the day!”