The transfer valuation of Manchester United may be significantly higher, but those are just numbers. Poor tactical decisions by the coach and injuries to key players can ruin everything. Brighton, on the other hand, showed in the first round that they can sting painfully. Manchester United must be prepared, or they could end up without points.
Brighton delivered the most impressive start by thrashing Everton away (3:0), thus leading the table. Despite their xG being only 1.30, everything went their way. They dominated possession (63-37) and speedy wide attacks. Everton allowed the opponent a lot both on the flanks and in the center. As a result, Brighton took ten shots, five of which were on target. Two of the three goals came from long-range efforts. The return of the highly experienced James Milner, who is even older than the head coach, strengthened the defense. He spent most of last season recovering rather than playing. Overall, the first official match under Fabian Hurzeler showed that the team could perform as well as under Roberto De Zerbi in his best times.
A hard-fought victory in the opening Premier League match has not yet given much hope among Manchester United fans. The only positive was that newcomer Joshua Zirkzee immediately showcased his talent, scoring in his debut game. However, the Red Devils struggled in attack until the 87th minute. Their finishing is still lacking: out of 14 shots, only 5 were on target. And they allowed ten shots on their goal, which is quite a lot. It's worth noting that the new defenders, Matthijs de Ligt and Noussair Mazraoui, have already debuted for the club, but it’s too early to say if they will noticeably strengthen the defense.
The last match against Manchester United was also Roberto De Zerbi’s final game. At the end of that season, Brighton had nothing to play for, and the team lost at home (0:2). But before that, the Seagulls had beaten Manchester United three times and drawn two more games, conceding only two goals in those matches. Manchester United's newcomers also need time to gel, so the hosts have every chance to take advantage.
|
Fabian Hürzeler
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
Jason Steele
|
gk. | 1 | 0 |
|
Bart Verbruggen
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Carl Rushworth
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adam Webster
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jan Paul van Hecke
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Joël Veltman
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Lewis Dunk
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Ed Turns
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Igor Julio
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Imari Samuels
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Odel Offiah
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pervis Estupiñán
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tariq Lamptey
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Billy Gilmour
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jack Hinshelwood
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
James Milner
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Mats Wieffer
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Yasin Ayari
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Cameron Peupion
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Carlos Baleba
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jakub Moder
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jensen Weir
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Julio Enciso
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mahmoud Dahud
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Malick Junior Yalcouyé
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Danny Welbeck
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Jeremy Sarmiento
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
João Pedro de Jesus
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kaoru Mitoma
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Simon Adingra
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Yankuba Minteh
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Brajan Gruda
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Evan Ferguson
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Georginio Rutter
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Solomon March
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Erik ten Hag
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
In squad
|
|||
|
André Onana
|
gk. | 1 | 0 |
|
Altay Bayındır
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tom Heaton
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Diogo Dalot
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Harry Maguire
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Jonny Evans
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Lisandro Martínez
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Matthijs de Ligt
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Noussair Mazraoui
|
df. | 1 | 0 |
|
Leny Yoro
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Luke Shaw
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tyrell Malacia
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Victor Lindelöf
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Bruno Fernandes
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Casemiro
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Kobbie Boateng Mainoo
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Mason Mount
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Scott McTominay
|
mf. | 1 | 0 |
|
Christian Eriksen
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Daniel Lewis Gore
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Hannibal Mejbri
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Alejandro Garnacho Ferreyra
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Amad Diallo Traoré
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Joshua Zirkzee
|
fw. | 1 | 1 |
|
Marcus Rashford
|
fw. | 1 | 0 |
|
Antony Matheus
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jadon Sancho
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Rasmus Winther Højlund
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
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