Derren Howard and Sam Morton look at Albion's Christmas period and look ahead to the Arsenal game
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00:00started. There you go.
00:05OK, thanks. Thanks for joining me today, Sam.
00:08We're joined by Sam Morton, the Sussex World Reporter who covers Brighton and Hove Albion.
00:14So after a bit of a bit of a sort of a patchy patchy spell for Brighton, Sam, seven games, seven games about a win now.
00:22Big, big game coming up this weekend.
00:24They've got Arsenal at the Amex on on Saturday.
00:28What's your sort of thoughts as we head into this one?
00:30It all just seems a little bit edgy at Brighton at the moment.
00:34Yeah, it's a real strange time, isn't it?
00:36Because I think they obviously the end of December without a single win in
00:40in a number of games over the over the festive period.
00:43And you kind of felt that the performances weren't up to scratch.
00:46Obviously started off with a really poor defeat at Fulham,
00:51followed by a pretty dreadful collapse at Leicester, where they were tuning up.
00:56And they obviously conceded two late goals to draw that game.
00:59And then probably the worst out of the lot.
01:01They then lost at home 3-1 to rivals Crystal Palace.
01:04Yeah. And they managed to get a one draw away at West Ham
01:08and then drew 0-0 at home to Brentford.
01:10And then they actually got a really positive two draw away at Aston Villa,
01:14which out of all of them is probably the best result.
01:17But when you look at that in conjunction with the other results, it does.
01:22Yeah, it just seems that they can't seem to buy a win at the moment.
01:25And then with Arsenal coming up on Saturday, it's not getting any easier.
01:29So it's a strange one, because obviously before this run of games,
01:32they had a brilliant win away at Bournemouth,
01:33and all the fans were chanting about the Champions League
01:36and getting back to Europe, and they haven't won since then.
01:40So it's been a tough run of games for Brighton.
01:44And I suppose the concerning thing is it's quite a favourable run.
01:48I think some games in they really expect Brighton to win with the quality
01:51they have in their ranks and some of the attacking players.
01:55And it hasn't quite worked out that way.
01:57So it's a difficult one to predict, especially this weekend with the fall.
02:01And Arsenal haven't exactly been firing all cylinders,
02:04but they've had a couple of decent results.
02:06And obviously, they're without Bakayo Saka,
02:08which is a big loss for them at the moment.
02:10So there's definitely some edgy moments from Arsenal as well.
02:14And I feel like Brighton could definitely cause
02:18what would be an upset, I think, going into the game on Saturday.
02:22But it's definitely a difficult one to call.
02:24Yeah, yeah. My feelings were, I went to the Brentford game.
02:28Obviously, that was a nil-nil draw at the Amex.
02:32And the reason I said the word edgy was because all of the fans,
02:36they just seemed, it just doesn't seem to be clicking at the moment.
02:41And then after the players, they look a bit nervous as well,
02:44especially in these home games against these teams
02:48who perhaps Brighton should be beating, but they make it very difficult.
02:52It's not easy to break down Brentford.
02:54And it was a game where the players looked frustrated as well.
02:58Jal Pedro looked frustrated.
03:00Lewis Dung looked frustrated at times.
03:02And then afterwards, it was quite a quite a spiky exchange
03:06with Fabian Herzela and one of the guys from the press.
03:11I asked a question about the red, a potential red card for Jal Pedro.
03:17And I thought that he should have been sent off.
03:21And he took that OK.
03:22And then there was a follow up question that came from behind me.
03:27Another journalist said, well, you were quite lucky
03:30to have sort of 11 players on the pitch based on that.
03:33And yeah, Fabian didn't take well to that at all.
03:36He sort of like jumped, jumped on it and sort of said, look,
03:39have you ever played football?
03:40Have you ever played football?
03:41And it was quite a quite a lively response from Herzela.
03:46We haven't really seen that side of him before
03:49when he's been getting a bit agitated.
03:52And then I think it just sort of
03:54sort of created that atmosphere as well with the fans, the players.
03:57And then he's on edge as well.
04:00And it's something we haven't seen.
04:02But then I think going to Aston Villa and then getting that 2-2 draw there,
04:06I think that was very important for Lampley to get that equaliser in the last.
04:12I think if they had lost that one,
04:14then things would have started to look quite, quite bad.
04:16And there would have been a drift of those European places a bit further.
04:22So I think that getting that equaliser at Aston Villa,
04:25I thought Aston Villa probably weren't at their best.
04:28They've been quite good this season,
04:30but I don't think they were at their best against Brighton.
04:32And I don't think Brighton were at their best either.
04:35But I do think that that could be a turning point.
04:37That could be quite a crucial moment, getting that goal to get a 2-2 draw.
04:42Yeah, it was funny how things work out.
04:44There's an exhaustive job, Pedro, getting two assists in that game against Aston Villa.
04:48And he very easily could have missed out based on that moment at Brentford.
04:52And obviously you mentioned you were there.
04:53What did you think of the incident?
04:55Do you think he was lucky to stay on the pitch for that moment?
04:59I thought he was.
05:00It was just because he missed him that, you know,
05:05he would have done some serious damage if he would have caught him with that.
05:09So if you go into a challenge and it's reckless and you're out of control,
05:14then, you know, you can get booked.
05:16You can get a red card for it, even if you don't make the contact.
05:20And that was Thomas Frank's point after the game.
05:24And I kind of agreed with him personally.
05:27I think that the way he threw the elbow,
05:30he didn't know whether he was going to connect or not.
05:32And if he had have connected, I think it could have done him a serious,
05:36could have done the defender a serious injury.
05:38So I think Jal Pedro did get away with one in that respect.
05:43And I think that...
05:46Really, he hasn't had, I think he had one half chance in that match.
05:50He went through on goal.
05:51He was left footed and it was, he just sort of fired it straight at the keeper.
05:56But he worked hard and he got no reward throughout the whole match.
05:59He hasn't scored since Bournemouth.
06:01And I think it was just sort of like a consequence of all that frustration.
06:06I think he was lucky.
06:07I think he was, I think
06:09Hazardella would take him to a side and probably did before the Villa game and just say,
06:14look, just, you know, I can't afford to have you suspended, you know.
06:18So, so, yeah, I thought he did get away with one.
06:22Yeah, and he made such a difference, obviously, in that Villa game.
06:25And I thought the second one especially was such a lovely assist,
06:27the way he kind of shoes his outside of his boot to lay it off to Lamptey.
06:30It was a really great goal, actually.
06:32And you kind of hope that gives him a bit of confidence back.
06:34Because I think, yeah, after they took the lead so early, it was a great start for them.
06:37And then you kind of hope, you hope they have a double lead and just take it from there.
06:41But then they fell 2-1 behind.
06:43You kind of fear the worst with the run they were on.
06:45And then they've squandered a one goal lead again.
06:47And it's kind of like, it's all boding really badly again for them.
06:51But I think, yeah, in the end, a really decent result, really,
06:54getting the point away from Villa Park, somewhere they've not had too much success.
06:58So, yeah, that's a good way of taking a little bit of confidence into the Arsenal game.
07:02And obviously, Jair Pedro will be a crucial part of any chances of success,
07:06I think, against them, against Arsenal.
07:08I think they need him to be on top form.
07:10They need him to be at his best.
07:11Yes, yeah, yeah.
07:14Yeah, he has switched it around a bit lately.
07:16A few new players have come in.
07:18Brian Gruder, he's been playing on the right-hand side.
07:22Simon Odinga, he got a chance.
07:23And I thought he took his goal superbly against Aston Villa as well.
07:27He came in in place of Karam Atoma.
07:29So it'll be interesting to see how Hazela lines up for this one against Arsenal,
07:35who would be, without Ben White, obviously, former Brighton defender,
07:40he's carrying a knee injury.
07:41So he's been out for some time.
07:43I don't think he'll be playing.
07:45Obviously, Saka, as you mentioned, he's injured.
07:48And I think Arsenal do have a lot of quality in their team in the attacking areas,
07:53but nobody as good as Saka.
07:55I think he's... Arsenal are a different proposition with Saka in the team.
08:00So I think not having him is a boost.
08:03Also, I think Timber, he got a book in, didn't he, in their victory against Brentford last night.
08:10So he's going to be suspended for the game against Brighton as well.
08:15So it leaves them a little bit short in defensive areas,
08:18which hopefully is something Brighton may be able to exploit.
08:22But I was watching a bit of the game last night with Arsenal.
08:26I thought Gabriel Jesus, he's looking back to his best, isn't he?
08:30How when he's fit and firing, he's a very dangerous player, I think.
08:36And he's starting to find that form again.
08:39Obviously, Martinelli, he scored as well.
08:42Trossard could come in as well against his old club.
08:46So I think it's going to be a tough test.
08:49We're both going to head along to it.
08:51Sam, how do you see that one going?
08:54Do you think Brighton can get something out of that?
08:56Yeah, I think they definitely can.
08:57I'm really looking forward to this game, actually.
08:59I think it's two teams that are obviously not at their best,
09:02but obviously got a lot of attacking talent that can do damage.
09:06And Gabriel Jesus, as you mentioned, is one that Brighton needs to be wary of.
09:10He's definitely backing the goals.
09:12It's amazing what confidence can do for a striker, isn't it?
09:14You think how long he went without a goal.
09:17He obviously got that hat-trick in the cup against Crystal Palace.
09:20Then he played Palace again a few days later and he nearly got another hat-trick.
09:23I think on another day, he definitely would have done the chances he had
09:26for a third goal after getting two early ones.
09:28So I think it's a tricky time to come up against the striker of his quality
09:34because he will be looking to continue that goal-scoring form.
09:37But it's interesting to see how Brighton line up defensively
09:41because obviously they had Lewis Dunn back in team recently
09:45and he's had some up and down moments,
09:47but he seems to have recovered a little bit from that.
09:49Yeah, he's been looking better.
09:52Yeah, I think Van Gek has definitely been a little bit kind of off form,
09:58I think, in recent weeks.
09:59I think obviously with the amazing start to the season he had,
10:01he really cemented his place as kind of undroppable with the first name on the team sheet.
10:05And he still is, I think, but I think he's had a few wobbles of late
10:08and he needs to get that kind of confidence back, as does the whole team, really.
10:12And a win over Arsenal would really do that.
10:15I think we've really sprung them forward for the rest of the season, really.
10:20So I think it will be really important just to prove what they can do as a team.
10:24Because obviously already they've won some big games against some of the best teams in the league already this season.
10:30Obviously we've seen them beat Man City, seen them come back to beat Spurs.
10:35They've obviously gave Liverpool a really good game.
10:36I know they obviously didn't win that one,
10:38but they proved what they can do against the strongest teams in the league.
10:40They got a draw at Arsenal as well, didn't they?
10:43A draw at Arsenal, yeah.
10:44So I think there's plenty of reasons to think that Brighton can get a good result this weekend.
10:52But it's just tricky when you look at that form they've got.
10:55And obviously there's been a while since they've had a win.
10:58So it's, yeah, if you look at the form, you'd say Arsenal are probably favourites.
11:04But you never know. You never know in football.
11:05And if you have to shout at Pedro and I don't know what Welbeck's back,
11:09but I think it's really important they try and get Welbeck back because they really haven't.
11:11Yeah, he's not going to make it.
11:13I was in the press conference this morning and he's not going to make it.
11:16Evan Ferguson's not going to make it either.
11:19So, yeah, there's even more impetus on Pedro and obviously Rutter as well.
11:24Rutter's looked a little bit off the pace in recent weeks as well.
11:28So kind of hoping maybe he can have a good game as well, get his form back.
11:31So it's, yeah, lots of questions to answer in this one.
11:36But I think, yeah, a win over Arsenal will do them a whole world of good.
11:40Getting them back to winning ways with a big win.
11:43Do you think Tarek Lamptey will start or do you think Joel Veltman will come back in?
11:46Do you remember when Joel, because Joel Veltman had that quite an eventful game at the Emirates, didn't he?
11:52When he tangled with Declan Rice.
11:55Declan Rice got sent off, didn't he?
11:57And I just wondered when Tarek Lamptey started against Aston Villa,
12:02whether Herzéla was saving Veltman for the Arsenal game.
12:06So I'm wondering whether Veltman will come back in for that one.
12:10I would imagine so.
12:11I think he's probably been given a bigger headache with Lamptey playing really well
12:14and obviously scoring a great goal to level the scoring.
12:17It's kind of made him a second guess himself.
12:20But I think, I completely agree.
12:22I think the thinking was to play Lamptey for that one and Veltman will come back in for the Arsenal match.
12:26Because as we've seen how much of a difference Veltman can make with his experience in those defensive areas.
12:32And it's going to be a real tough ask, obviously, to keep some of those attacking players quiet for Arsenal.
12:36And I think he'll be as relieved as anyone that Bakayo Saka is not around for this one.
12:42We saw in that game at the Emirates, he really can cause some big problems.
12:46I think Hinchinwood played left-back in that game, didn't he?
12:49Yes, he caused Hinchinwood all sorts of problems.
12:51He had a really tough first opening half hour.
12:53And then I actually thought he grew into it, didn't he, at left-back Hinchinwood against Saka?
12:57He did. He did, absolutely.
12:59Yeah, so it's a tough one to call.
13:02I know that Arsenal will definitely miss Saka.
13:05But they have plenty of other options to come in and cause problems for Brighton.
13:09I imagine that he will go for the experience of Joel Veltman for this one.
13:13But Laptey is a great option as well.
13:15He obviously had a bit of a wobble a couple of games ago.
13:18But I think he has, on the whole, improved a lot against Palace.
13:22But he has, on the whole, improved a lot.
13:24And he's been a real threat going forward and scored a couple of really great goals in recent weeks.
13:29So definitely a nice option to have.
13:32Yeah, he could even be an option at left-back as well.
13:34If Stupanjan's still struggling with his illness,
13:38he missed the Aston Villa game through illness.
13:40So if Stupanjan's struggling still,
13:43there could be a potential for Laptey to switch across to left-back as well.
13:47Yeah, yeah, that's an interesting one.
13:49Yeah, yeah, yeah.
13:51But no, there's a couple of...
13:53I think Adam Webster, he's going to be...
13:55We were in the press conference this morning,
13:56and Josella said Adam Webster's going to be fit again.
14:00Jack Hinchinwood's getting closer.
14:02But I think the game, it seems from what he said,
14:04just reading between the lines, I think this game will come a bit too soon.
14:09Who were the other injuries that he mentioned?
14:11Kadioglu, he's still quite a way away, which is...
14:14Yeah, he's been out for a while now, hasn't he?
14:16It has been a while.
14:17It was Liverpool away was the last time he played.
14:21He scored, didn't he, at Anfield.
14:24And then he hasn't been seen since.
14:27Had a toe injury,
14:28which, again, it was said at the time is a minor issue.
14:32And then, yeah, we haven't seen him since then.
14:36So, yeah, that's a bit of a concern.
14:37I'd love to have him back,
14:38because not only can he obviously fill in at the full-back positions,
14:42he's great going forward as well, isn't he?
14:45I think once he's fit, he's going to be one of the...
14:47a really big asset for Brighton, I think.
14:52Matt Swiffer, I think he's a little way away still.
14:55So I'm not sure if he's going to be coming in.
14:57So I think it's going to be Carlos Bolivar in midfield,
15:00and then maybe O'Reilly or Yassin Ayari to go in there.
15:07Diogo Gomes, he's obviously joined now, hasn't he, as well?
15:11So he's signed and he's available,
15:13but I think they're going to take their time with him.
15:16Judging from what Hazela said in a press conference this morning,
15:19he's not going to be thrown straight into the Arsenal game.
15:23He wants him to get up to speed a bit.
15:26Yeah, but he's a good one, isn't he?
15:28He said that he saw him training,
15:30and he's going to add some physicality to that midfield.
15:35He said he was a beast.
15:37Yeah, he described him as a beast this morning in training.
15:41So if you have those two, with him and Bolivar,
15:44that adds a lot of strength, doesn't it, to that midfield?
15:49100%.
15:49There's lots of options in midfield for Brighton, which is great.
15:52It was such a shame, I was going to say,
15:53about Mats Vervaeke having that injury,
15:55because he looked brilliant in that first half against West Ham.
15:57West Ham was the best he's played, isn't it?
15:59Yeah, he was.
16:00He's found the match in the first half,
16:01and he obviously got his goal at the start of the second half,
16:04and he just had that unfortunate injury at the worst time,
16:07and hopefully he'll be back in action soon.
16:09And Mato Raidi, I thought, was really good against Brentford.
16:14Yeah, I liked his performance, yeah.
16:18First time I've seen him play properly,
16:22yeah, he looked really impressive.
16:24He came on against Man City when I was there,
16:27and that was just a late performance.
16:29A cameo appearance.
16:30Yeah, against Brentford.
16:31He's very elegant, isn't he?
16:32Sort of like, he picks the ball up well,
16:34and he looks great on the ball,
16:36and he gets up and down the pitch as well.
16:39So he's definitely another great option.
16:43Yeah, I was surprised to see him on the bench at St Vida, actually.
16:46I think after that performance against Brentford,
16:47I was expecting him to go again.
16:49But maybe, again, he's got...
16:51Hudson's thinking about Arsenal,
16:52and he's saving Raidi for this one.
16:54It'll be an interesting one.
16:55But I think, yeah, there's definitely lots of options to ponder.
16:57But, I mean, do you think Julio Enciso might be able to restart?
17:01Because, obviously, he was all action against Brentford,
17:03and had the most number of shots in the league this season, didn't he?
17:06But I think he got a little bit of stick,
17:08not using his teammates more,
17:09and he obviously struggled against Villa as well.
17:13Yeah, he's brilliant.
17:15And then he's so erratic, isn't he?
17:17He's one of these players that you can't quite depend upon just yet.
17:22I think he's still capable of doing these game-changing moments,
17:27but he's also capable of disappearing.
17:31And, you know, so I think Herzele wants to get consistency out of him.
17:36And so he's started two in a row now.
17:39But I think Rata will probably come back in for this one against Arsenal.
17:47But, yeah, it's interesting to see what happens with Enciso,
17:50especially with Gomez coming in as well now.
17:52He's sort of his good friend from Paraguay coming in there as well.
17:56So that could be an interesting combination.
18:00I just want to get your thoughts as well, Sam, on the right-hand side.
18:05Brian Grood has been playing the last two matches.
18:08Do you think Jankuba Minter would be a better option against Arsenal?
18:14That's a tough one, isn't it?
18:15I think Brian Grood is still very raw, isn't he, Brian Grood?
18:20He showed some glimpses of what he can do.
18:22And he looks a little bit, yeah, a little bit, obviously, just more to learn.
18:27He's got lots to learn, obviously, for the Premier League.
18:28But that's obviously natural.
18:29He's such a young player that's still very new to the league and the country.
18:33I think he's really shown some promising signs in the games he's played for Brighton so far.
18:37I'm thinking, obviously, Minter's just as young as me.
18:40He's obviously a teenager himself.
18:42It's a really tough choice between the two.
18:46But I think they've both got their own talents and ways of attacking the Arsenal back line.
18:52So I feel like either one would be a good option.
18:55But I'd like to see Brian Grood give it another go, actually.
18:58He's got a bit of running form going and he's starting to show more of what he can do.
19:03And I think if you give him that run of games, you can really see the best out of him.
19:06I think he brings his best performances if you get the run of games.
19:12So, yeah, I hope he can get another start because I think he definitely was really impressive
19:16against Brentford, especially.
19:17But if Janko Minter does start, he's another threat.
19:20What I think has been most impressive about Minter is his work rate and being able to win
19:24the ball so high up the field.
19:25I noticed that from the first pre-season game.
19:28He's really good at that.
19:29And he's got a good finish.
19:32He's a good finisher as well.
19:33So I think either one would be a good option.
19:35I think it would be a difficult choice for Hurts to do.
19:37But obviously, it'd be good to have a backup plan as well, obviously, if the plan A doesn't work.
19:42Yeah, exactly.
19:43Exactly.
19:43And they've also got Soli March now, haven't they, as well, who can come on to the right
19:48as well.
19:48So great to have him back.
19:50I thought he was going to score at the end of that Brentford match.
19:55He lined up for that shot.
19:56It would have been the dream return, wouldn't it?
19:58Yeah.
19:58But yeah, so great to have him back.
19:59Really, really good.
20:01Really good player and so versatile and such an important part of the team.
20:04He's been really missed when he's been out.
20:07Yeah.
20:07He's going to have big problems when he's got all of his players fit, isn't he?
20:10Keeping everybody happy.
20:12It's a great squad to have all these options, but it's going to be tough keeping them all
20:17happy when they're out of the team and not playing.
20:21So yeah, it's going to be quite a test of his management and a test of some of the players'
20:27patience when they're not playing so much.
20:30Do you expect much action in the transfer window?
20:31Do you expect any outgoings or incomings?
20:34Yeah, it's going to be...
20:37Now that the players are getting fit again, a couple of days ago, I would have said, or
20:41a week or so ago, I would have said Inceiso would probably be a cert to go out on loan
20:46or to look elsewhere in January.
20:49But now, obviously, he's started the last two.
20:52So that maybe has changed some people's thinking.
20:56But in terms of incoming, I don't think there's going to be a great deal.
21:01I think the players that they've brought in already haven't really got going yet.
21:06I think Rutter's probably been the most consistent.
21:09The others have played one, been injured, played one, been injured, and they haven't
21:13really been able to show what they can do as yet.
21:16And I think with the size of the squad that he has now, I can't see too many players coming
21:22in.
21:23Potentials to go out on loan, there was Evan Ferguson, but now he's got an injury.
21:29He isn't fit.
21:30So it's an ankle.
21:33He confirmed it's an ankle injury again, so he can't play against Arsenal.
21:36And whether that rules him out of a possible move away in January, which was, you know,
21:42there was so much speculation about that, I don't know.
21:46Jacob Moda, maybe he could look to leave in January as well.
21:53Tarek Lamptey is the last, if they don't offer him a new contract, this will probably be
21:56the last chance they get to get a fee for him as well.
21:59So there's a couple of interesting decisions.
22:01But I think in terms of this season, I'll be surprised if they let Lamptey go because
22:06Kadioglu's obviously been injured.
22:08Jack Kinchelwood's injured, who can fit in at right back, which then just leaves Veltman
22:13and Lamptey as well.
22:15So I don't think, I can't see Lamptey going anywhere.
22:19So I think it's going to be a fairly quiet transfer window for Brighton.
22:25Yeah, I was going to say about Julio Cissé, I'd be interested to see what happens with
22:30him, because I know he's been linked with a move, a loan move in January, and you do
22:35wonder if that could go through.
22:37But he's starting to get some minutes of late and showing what he can do.
22:41And we've obviously discussed him a bit before, and you kind of just need him to get that
22:47kind of goal scoring form back or kind of start contributing to goals again.
22:51So as you say, against Brentford, he had lots of shots, but he never really looked like
22:55scoring, and you kind of feel like he's missing something at the moment.
22:59And you wonder if Diego Gomez can help that, and you can help Diego Gomez settle in.
23:03So that also comes to thinking, yeah, you wonder if that could come to thinking of what
23:07the plans are for him going into the second half of the season.
23:11Yeah, yeah, that would be interesting.
23:12And I think maybe there could be, is it Malcoy or Yalcoy who's on loan at Sturmgras?
23:21There's talk about cutting his loan short.
23:23So he's another midfielder who could potentially come back in.
23:27Karl Rushworth's on loan at Hull as well.
23:31He hasn't really been playing too much, and there could be a case for him coming back
23:35as well, maybe going out to another team on loan as well.
23:39Valentin Barco as well, he's struggled, hasn't he?
23:48Yeah, I'd be interested to see what happens with him.
23:50Yeah, yeah.
23:51But, oh well, onwards and upwards, and hopefully they can, so they haven't had a win in seven,
23:58so are they going to get a win against Arsenal?
24:01I want to say yes, that they're overdue a win, and this would be the perfect time to
24:06do it.
24:06I want to say 2-1 Brighton.
24:10I'm going to agree with you.
24:11I'm going to go with that as well.
24:13So yeah, well, keep up to date with everything and have a look on Sussex World for all our
24:17reports from the Arsenal as we build up to the Arsenal match and from the game as well.
24:24But thanks for joining us, Sam.
24:25Thanks, Derek.