Unbeaten Everton played their usual 4-3-3 formation in this game against Brighton, but new signing Allan and André Gomes were both out who were replaced with Tom Davies and Gylfi Sigurdsson. Brighton lined up in their usual formation as well (3-4-3). Dominic Calvert-Lewin opened the scoring at the back post after Everton controlled possession for the first half an hour, but Brighton hit back after a Jordan Pickford error. Brighton looked dangerous when they had periods of time on the ball, but Everton regained their lead on the stroke of half time and made it 4-1 in the second half before Brighton pulled one back in the 90th minute after sustained pressure on the Everton goal.
Ratings:
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be a strong player at level
- C – Average for their level, re-watch
- D – Below average in this match
Ben White
Player Profile:
- Nationality: English
- Age: 22
- Date of Birth: 08/10/1997
- Current Club: Brighton
- Career: Southampton (Y), Brighton, Newport County (L), Peterborough (L), Leeds (L)
- Position: Centre Back
- Preferred foot: Right
White played on the right-hand side of the Brighton back three and he offered more on the ball compared to the other Brighton centre backs. White was a bit hit and miss with his distribution, although the majority of his passes were good and accurate. He played a nice switch of play when penned in the corner which showed great vision, and he also played a nice bouncing ball that was hit hard and accurate into the centre of the pitch. However, a long ball from White didn’t come off and some of his passes were intercepted when he was under pressure. A big asset of White’s game was his ability to dribble into space and start an attack, he has a good burst of acceleration and good power to fend of opposition players trying to tackle him, he likes to continue his run after he passes as well and get into the box.
White didn’t have a lot to do defensively but he did well in pressing the Everton attackers, following them closely not allowing them to turn as well as intercepting a ball that he read well. He also made a good sliding block from a shot. However, White wasn’t convincing in the air, his leaps were poor and didn’t get much height from them, he was also beaten at the back post for Calvert-Lewin’s header after he fell to the ground from minimal contact.
Overall, White was solid and offered another dimension for Brighton in playing out from the back, however he needs to cut out the sloppy and inaccurate passes if he wants to move to a better team. Three of the Everton goals came down White’s side, but they were all well worked goals and it may have been down to the lack of chemistry between White and new signing Joel Veltman who came on at half time.
Tariq Lamptey
Player Profile
- Nationality: English
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 30/09/2000
- Current Club: Brighton
- Career: Chelsea, Brighton
- Position: Right Back
- Preferred foot: Right
I previously scouted Lamptey on one of his first starts last season and he has gone from strength to strength since then. His final ball has drastically improved and he showed that in this match, he put in two good crosses from deep next to the byline and he got good pace and whip on the crosses considering how far out they were. His dribbling is very impressive, Lamptey is so quick across the floor and his close control along with his low centre of gravity makes it very hard for defenders to tackle him, which is why he is fouled so often. Although he did get the ball stuck under his feet when in a good attacking position trying to do a skill, but it was good to see him get into these positions.
Lamptey was average defensively, he didn’t have any 1v1’s to deal with as such but he did find himself defending space on the right, he didn’t get close enough to make a tackle and was too far away that he couldn’t read and intercept the pass. His physicality is still a concern as he has a slim small build, the right back lost out on an aerial duel and Lamptey finds it difficult to dispossess the opposition using just body strength so he relies on his speed and slide tackling technique. He did make a very good slide tackle, sweeping the ball away then taking the man out in a safe manner. Lamptey was unfortunately taken off at half time, presumably due to injury, and Brighton were ineffective down the right-hand side in the second half which was a testament to Lamptey’s attacking ability.
Rating – A2
Yves Bissouma
Player Profile
- Nationality: Malian
- Age: 24
- Date of Birth: 30/08/1996
- Current Club: Brighton
- Career: AS Real Bamako, Lille, Brighton
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Bissouma was back in the line-up today after serving his suspension and he started off a bit rusty when he took too big of a touch when dribbling out from the back which led to an Everton shot on goal. Bissouma’s intentions were right and it benefited Brighton in the game when he always looked to play forward. He received the ball on the half turn and on the back foot which enabled him to avoid challenges when opposition were close, this also allowed Bissouma and Brighton to switch the play quickly and keep the tempo of the attack going. The Malian international uses his arms well to keep the opposition at bay, he also moves and makes a run after he passes which was simple but effective for Brighton as it made it hard for Everton midfielders to get close to him.
Bissouma was solid defensively but he was also frustrating to watch, his long legs and good agility makes it easier for him to nick the ball from opposition players, however he usually just gets a foot in which results in the opposition keeping the ball. Bissouma also read players body position well and could anticipate where the opposition player was going in which helped him to get a foot in and make a challenge. Bissouma’s physicality and pressure was too much sometimes which resulted in several fouls being committed and most of the time it was unnecessary fouls.
The nature of the game led to Brighton sitting off Everton however Bissouma did press sometimes but he was erratic in his pressing which led to open spaces that were left by him. It was frustrating to see Bissouma in and around the penalty box as he refused to shoot, instead he tried to play an eye of the needle through ball which didn’t always come off. In the second half, Bissouma finally let rip and he connected well although it was blocked. Then in the 90th minute, Bissouma chested a bouncing ball and hit a stunning volley that flew into the goal, a really great strike.
Rating – A2
Neal Maupay
Player Profile
- Nationality: French
- Age: 24
- Date of Birth: 14/08/1996
- Current Club: Brighton
- Career: OGC Nice, St Etienne, Stade Brest (L), Brentford, Brighton
- Position: Striker
- Secondary Position: Left Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Maupay played on the left-hand side of the front three for the majority of the game with Conolly starting through the middle, which in my opinion doesn’t suit Maupay’s finishing instincts. Maupay did find himself in the box and scored Brighton’s first goal from just being in and around the 6-yard box sniffing out possible danger when Pickford dropped the ball and he was there to tap it in.
Maupay’s best asset in this game was his hold up play, he came deep to receive the ball and held it up well on most occasions despite being under pressure from Everton defenders. He used his physical and aggressive nature to hold off the defenders. Maupay worked very hard to win the ball back when he lost it, he pressed in short sharp bursts which caught the Everton players off guard which resulted in him winning the ball back well on several occasions. Overall, Maupay played well but below average of what he is capable of, I would like to see him play centrally in a front three or play in a front two.
Rating – A2
Steven Alzate
Player Profile
- Nationality: Colombian
- Age: 22
- Date of Birth: 08/09/1998
- Current Club: Brighton
- Career: Leyton Orient, Brighton, Swindon (L)
- Position: Centre Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Alzate was booked in the 4th minute after he cynically pulled back an Everton player on the counter-attack, it was a clever foul to give away but it was fairly unnecessary as there were plenty of Brighton defenders to cover the counter-attack. The yellow card hanging over Alzate might have affected his defensive performance as he was passive in his defensive approach, although when they ball was there to be won, he did go for it, making 2/2 tackles. Alzate was okay going forward, he took little risks – mainly passing sideways to Bissouma. However, he did play lots of medium-range forward ground passes that was effective in Brighton’s build up play. Alzate had good tempo with his passing and took the minimum touches required which suited Brighton’s quick play and he complimented Bissouma very well in the middle of the park.
Rating – B2
Aaron Connolly
Player Profile
- Nationality: Irish
- Age: 20
- Date of Birth: 28/01/2000
- Current Club: Brighton
- Career: Mervue United (Y), Brighton, Luton (L)
- Position: Centre Forward
- Preferred foot: Right
Connolly played in the middle of the front three and tried his hardest to make things work but it didn’t quite click for him in this game. Connolly preferred to run in behind and use his quick pace and energy to cause problems for the Everton defence. Connolly made one very well-timed run, beating the offside trap. He controlled the ball well and he physically bumped of an Everton defender which gave him an extra couple of yards and he did very well to put in a great low cross but no one was in the box as he was out wide. The striker also pulled off a great first-time flick from a long ball then dribbled well with pace winning a foul. Connolly was caught offside twice which was lazy of him, he was offside from a cross where he was looking across the line and had no reason to be offside, on the other occasion he didn’t get back onside quick enough after Brighton cleared the ball which was frustrating.
The game state didn’t suit Connolly and his pace, especially when Brighton controlled possession and Everton sat deep. He lacked link-up play compared to Maupay and his passes didn’t tend to come off when he did come short and receive the ball. In the right team and system he could be a good option and I would like to see him and Maupay switch positions during the game and become more fluid in the front three.
Rating – C