Arsenal head to the coast on Saturday ahead of the first international break as they face a red-hot Brighton side for the fifth match of the Premier League season.
The first month has seen the Gunners manage the expectations of title holders as well as you could hope. They have started to pull away from the rest of the league having gone 4 for 4 in the PL and 7 for 7 across all competitions since the Community Shield with only Manchester City matching their winning run. Between Mikel Arteta’s tactics
and massive weight lifted off their shoulders following last season’s successes, Arsenal look a class above despite a growing injury crisis in the defense.
Arteta’s side head into the weekend facing yet another unique test on the road, this time heading to face Brighton at the Amex to finish off a four match run of away days. The Seagulls have been the top attacking side so far, while Arsenal have remained the top defense in Europe. As far as “unstoppable force meets immovable object” matches go, this one looks to be an interesting one.
Arsenal made the most of their early slate last season to maximize points before the winter fixture grind, which greatly contributed to winning the league. A fifth win on the trot to open their campaign would go a long way to repeating as champions. Can they keep their momentum and head into the three week break with confidence and, more importantly, all of the possible points available?
Know the Enemy
Domestic Record: 2-1-1 (5th)
The Seagulls have been flying high so far this season. After finishing last season in 8th place, they have been one of the more surprising sides in the Premier League’s early stages. The fact that they are currently in 5th place is reason enough for optimism for supporters of the coastal club, but the real cherry on top this season has been their attack.
In the season’s opening month, Fabian Hurzeler’s side have sprinted out of the gates with a league-leading 13 goals through 4 league matches, which puts them 3 better than Chelsea, who are the next highest scoring club. Their goal scoring hasn’t come against the run of play either, as they also lead the league in xG (10.18) and shots on target (24) while they are second in shots (78) and shot conversion (16.67%).
Sure, some of that can be chalked up to having been up a man in two matches, but as Manchester United showed against Manchester City on Sunday, a man advantage is only as good as what you do with it. They opened the season with a 4-0 pasting of Aston Villa, scoring all of their goals in the first 30 minutes before the Villans went down to 10 men. In their last PL match at Coventry, Brighton lead 0-2 before Taiwo Awoniyi was sent off early in the second half, and the Seagulls proceeded to heap punishment on the newly-promoted side to the tune of 0-5.
They aren’t simply flat-track bullies, either. They have a knack for hanging around in matches and fighting till the end. In their lone loss against Chelsea, they were down 3-0 at Stamford Bridge before mounting a comeback, losing 4-3. In the Carabao Cup this week, they came back from 2-0 down at Old Trafford to knock Manchester United out of the cup with a late winner to finish the match 2-3. No lead is safe at the moment, which the Gunners will need to be mindful of should they strike first on the road.
In his third season at the helm, Herzeler has turned the Seagulls into a disciplined and well-drilled side that presses like hell, maximizes individual skill, and aims to own the ball, leading the league with a staggering 70.9% possession so far. Again, playing with an advantage in half of their matches skews that stat, but they take maximum advantage of it.
Where they have some weakness is in defense. The early leads by Chelsea and United show that they are susceptible to attack-minded sides, giving up the 6th highest xG to opposition while allowing the highest xG per shot (0.15) in the league. Arsenal have not exactly been firing on all cylinders so far in the attack, but their ability to camp out in the opposition’s box is something they can potentially exploit at the Amex on Saturday.
Brighton are also coming off of a tightly contested Carabao Cup that forced them to have to play a much more intense match than Arsenal did midweek. Fatigue isn’t likely to be a big issue at this stage, but a three day turnaround with up to 9 players out with injury on the back of an emotionally and physically taxing match could play into Arsenal’s hands if they play it smart.
It’s safe to assume that the Seagulls will want to make a statement before the upcoming international break. At home and hosting an Arsenal side that they haven’t beaten in 7 matches, they will throw everything at the Gunners to pin them back and catch them on the chin. They’ve got the ability to do it, and they will no doubt look to show it in front of their home support against the title holders.
Arsenal vs Brighton all-time record: 20-7-8
Incomings: Luka Vuskovic (Tottenham), Zadok Yohanna (AIK), Pascal Struijk (Leeds), Chema Andrés (Stuttgart), Femi Azeez (Millwall), Jaouen Hadjam (Young Boys), Constinha (Olympiacos), Michael Svoboda (Venezia), Marías Orozco (Deportivo Cali), Rodrigo Rêgo (Benfica B), Promise David (loan from Union SG)
Departures: Carlos Baleba (Manchester United), Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham), Carl Rushworth (Coventry), Diego Coppola (Paris FC), Danny Welbeck (Chelsea), Jeremy Sarmiento (Middlesborough), Igor Julio (Burnley), Joël Veltman, (West Ham)
Injuries & Suspensions: Stefanos Tzimas (knee), Yankuba Minteh (Calf), Kaoru Mitoma (thigh), Jack Hinshelwood (muscular), Mats Weiffer (knee), Michael Svoboda (knee), Zadok Yohanna (knock), Femi Azeez (thigh), Evan Ferguson (ankle)
For the latest on Arsenal’s injuries, suspensions, and how they might line up on Saturday, check out our latest article.
WHO: Arsenal at Brighton & Hove Albion
WHAT: Premier League match day 5
WHEN: Saturday, September 19th, 10:00am EST/7:00am PST/3:00pm GMT
WHERE: Amex Stadium, Brighton & Hove
HOW TO WATCH: Broadcast on The USA Network. Streaming on the Peacock and Amazon Prime apps.
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