This weekend, Brighton will play Manchester United at Old Trafford, and Roberto De Zerbi will have some crucial choices to make in the attacking third.
This week, Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi must make some significant choices as he gets his team ready for their trip to Old Trafford on Saturday to play Manchester United.
With a focus on their packed game schedule, the Italian has so far rotated his starters for Albion. The Seagulls have nine more games after their meeting against United, including four group stage Europa League games, an away EFL Cup match against Chelsea, and their Premier League obligations.
Albion will try to capitalize on Erik ten Hag’s team’s lackluster start to the new campaign after winning their last three Premier League encounters with the Red Devils. United is 11th in the standings, five spots behind Brighton in sixth place, after losing their first two games.
The key to beating United is getting on the board quickly, so De Zerbi must choose the correct attacking combinations from a variety of possibilities. No team has scored more goals so far this season than the Seagulls (12), and they have been distributed among seven different goal scorers, demonstrating the success of the Brighton manager thus far.
After scoring a hat-trick against Newcastle the last time they played, Evan Ferguson will undoubtedly be itching to participate in the match. However, he was unable to represent Ireland during the international break owing to a minor injury, which may change De Zerbi’s intentions.
We’ve looked at Albion’s potential attacking lineups against Erik ten Hag’s group below.
Even though the outer clamor surrounding Ansu Fati’s loan move to Brighton from Barcelona implies otherwise, it’s doubtful that he will play the full 90 minutes of every match for the club. Instead, he will serve as another cog in De Zerbi’s rotating apparatus, maintaining his physical fitness and mental acuity so that he can be used as needed.
It will be interesting to see where he fits into Brighton’s attacking puzzle if he does make the team at Old Trafford. His most natural position, based on his performances in Spain, would be on the left wing, a position that Kaoru Mitoma has mastered during the past year at the Amex. He is capable of playing anywhere throughout the attacking line.
With Julio Enciso out injured and Joao Pedro already being used in rotation as the second striker behind either Danny Welbeck or Evan Ferguson, playing as a No. 10 or half-centre-forward seems to fit Brighton’s team better.
Seven, ten, nine, and eleven. When asked where Ansu would play, De Zerbi replied, “Where we need. “It is enough if Ansu Fati plays 20 games at his level.”
Welbeck comes back
The former Manchester United fan favorite began the season’s first three games for Brighton but was absent from the victory over Newcastle owing to a minor muscle strain. He has since had the international break to heal, and considering Evan Ferguson’s knee problem, it might take some time.
Welbeck is yet to score a goal this year and would undoubtedly welcome the opportunity to do so against his previous team, beginning as a center-forward with tons of creative talent surrounding him. Welbeck started as the center forward against Luton Town on the first day of the season, with Pedro assisting, Mitoma on the left, and Solly March on the right.
4-4-2
Even though Brighton’s starting lineup rarely stays the same for too long, if both Ferguson and Welbeck are injured, playing with two conventional centre-forwards next to each other might be an option.
For fans, the idea of starting Pedro and Fati together up front with Mitoma and March flanking them for support would be tantalizing. Simon Adingra might also be a possibility as a substitute.