VAR continues to baffle...and so does Brighton's 'nonsensical' defending at set-pieces

Actually, if you count penalties as set pieces – which they technically are – then it was another game, another two goals from set pieces as Brighton marked the return of fans to the Amex with a 2-1 defeat to Southampton, writes Scott McCarthy of wearebrighton.comThe Albion have conceded 18 times in the Premier League so far in the 2020-21 season. 11 of those have come from corners, free kicks and penalties. Quite clearly, this is a massive problem and yet Graham Potter and his players seem to have done little to address it.

How different might Brighton’s season look if they could defend set pieces? Had Nemanja Matic not been left free at the back post to tap in Bruno Fernandes’ free kick and Neal Maupay not needlessly handled from a corner, then the Albion would have beaten Manchester United at the Amex.

Everton scored from a short corner and a free kick on their way to winning 4-2 at Goodison Park. Southampton’s first on Monday night came when Jannik Vestergaard headed home a James Ward-Prowse free kick.

Take away those five easily preventable goals and the Albion would have five more points – enough to put them 12th in the table. And that is before you consider the penalties awarded against Brighton so far; Crystal Palace’s spot kick at Selhurst Park was soft in the extreme but still cost two points.

There could be no complaints about Chelsea’s penalty on the opening day of the season. Take that and the goal Kurt Zouma scored from a corner away and the Blues’ visit to the Amex ends in a 1-1 draw, adding another point to Brighton’s total. No Vestergaard header and no Danny Ings penalty turns Brighton 1-2 Southampton into Brighton 1-0 Southampton.

One of Potter’s favourite phrases to trot out every week is that the Albion will “learn and take the positives.” Which is nonsense. For 11 matches and three months, Brighton have been unable to defend set pieces; nothing seems to be learnt as there has been no sign of improvement.

The most frustrating thing is that it is an area which can clearly be improved. Potter could ditch zonal marking for a start and allow the players to pick up opponents man-to-man.

Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, Ben White and Joel Veltman are all earning five figures a week for their defensive prowess – they should easily be able to mark a man and stay with him from a corner or free kick.

Or if he insists on persevering with zonal marking, the least Brighton could do is practice it on the training ground.

Some might say “You don’t know what they do in training,” which is true. But if the players look all at sea anytime a delivery comes into the box even after working on it in the week, then that is massively concerning.

Set piece training might even mean that Brighton do something when they have a free kick or corner of their own. Combine the aerial ability of Dunk, Webster, Veltman and White with the delivery of Pascal Gross and the Albion should be as threatening when attacking set pieces as they are woeful at defending them.

There was one moment against Southampton when a Brighton short corner went awry, and the ball ended up 80 yards away from the Saints goal. Talk about wasting opportunities.

Finally, some supporters have begun to put Maty Ryan’s role in this set piece nightmare under scrutiny. The theory goes that Ryan is too short to dominate his box and relieve the pressure which comes when an aerial ball is pumped in.

Ryan’s height is not the problem – he is only marginally shorter than Kasper Schmeichel – but his unwillingness to stray from his line too often might be.

Potter showed when playing Robert Sanchez against Spurs that he is not afraid to drop his number one and what happens when Christian Walton gets up to speed following his injury will be interesting, given that Walton is a much more commanding presence than Ryan.

The identity of Brighton’s goalkeeper though will make little difference if Potter himself does not do something to address the inability of the Albion to defend set pieces.

Five points have been lost already this season – with six pointers against Sheffield United and Fulham to come, Brighton cannot afford to drop many more due to preventable goals from free kicks and corners.

wearebrighton.com