Dan Burn suffered for Brighton's failure to address a long-standing issue at left back

Graham Potter is absolutely right, Dan Burn is indeed an honest professional and has been excellent for Brighton for the last two seasons.

Fair play to Potter, he spotted something in Burn from the moment he arrived at the club and the central defender has proved reliable and versatile in the top flight.

And as a stand-up professional, Burn has previously said he 'enjoys the challenge' at left back and would of course 'play anywhere for the team'.

But if you had an honest conversation with him, I'm sure he would admit he does not like playing at left back in the slightest. He is a 6ft 7in centre back afterall!

The left side of Brighton's defence has been a problem for almost two seasons now and it's a position the club have continually failed to address.

Rightly or wrongly, Potter doesn't seem to trust Bernardo in that role so when Brighton play with a four at the back, Burn is often the man in the firing line, as he was against Adam Traore during the 3-3 draw against Wolves.

Burn's best position is left of a defensive three or a left sided centre back. He has also featured at left wing back but when exposed at left back, against some of the fastest and most dangerous attacking players world football, it becomes a problem for him and the team.

It was impossible not to feel for Burn last night. The look on his face after the own goal and then conceding the penalty said it all.

When he was finally and mercifully substituted on 69 minutes, having been booked for another foul on Traore, he trudged off a beaten man.

"Dan Burn a couple of years ago was at Wigan in League One. So rather than being critical of Dan Burn, we should be proud of him." said Potter when asked how Burn was feeling after the match.

In the previous two matches, Arsenal's Bukayo Saka and Wolves' Traore have manged to isolate Burn at left back and scored vital goals as a result. It's unfair on Burn, it's costing Albion points and Potter will rightly shoulder some blame.

Even Brighton's first choice defensive line-up this season of Ben White, Lewis Dunk and Adam Webster has a lop-sided look.

Webster has performed well on the left side of the three but it's not a natural fit and he has been shoe-horned in that role.

It's no coincidence that Webster's best displays this season, such as yesterday against Wolves, came when he played alongside Dunk in a more central role.

The left side of the defence is a problem Potter has been trying to solve since he arrived. Last season during a 1-0 loss at Everton Lewis Dunk was tried on the left, Shane Duffy was in the middle with Webster on the right.

When wing back Bernardo bombed forward Dunk ended up playing much of the first half as a left back and Theo Walcott caused him all sorts of problems.

Brighton have had transfer windows since then but have not yet managed to solve the problem.

If Bernardo is not the answer then Brighton need to find a solution to their left back puzzle...and hopefully this January.