Frank Lampard and Graham Potter met in the Championship twice last season. Now at Chelsea and Brighton, what tactics can be expected as they face off?
Graham Potter entered the eye of the world as he took Ostersund up three divisions and into the Europa League knockout stages. While he was initially viewed as a novelty as one of the few English managers abroad, he proved the real deal as his side defeated Arsenal at the Emirates before losing on aggregate.
It seemed only a matter of time before an English club snapped him up after that and Swansea won the race fresh off their relegation. They failed to go straight back into the Premier League, a difficult task anyways, but they did finish tenth as his side played an exciting brand of football. That ultimately earned him his chance at the Premier League with Brighton.
Now he is set to face a manager he faced twice last season in Frank Lampard. Lampard’s Derby collected four points off of Potter’s Swansea and now both find themselves at very different clubs. Both are still seeking some consistency as they look to get the better of one another.
This season, Brighton has been lining up in a 3-4-3 formation. Potter has used various versions of the 4-3-3 before but it appears that the 3-4-3 suits his current squad best. That could cause Lampard to adapt to match it, but it remains to be seen how often Lampard will tweak the shape to counter the opponents.
On the ball, Brighton looks to keep possession and play their way towards goal. If his Swansea side was any indication, his Brighton will continue to look a lot like a Brendan Rodger’s team as they look to find pockets of space while stretching the opponent. And, like Rodger’s, Potter has shown a willingness to change up certain aspects as his players and the game requires.
One of Brighton’s greatest strengths last season, even as their form fell off a cliff, was their organization on and off the ball. Graham has kept most of that in place to his benefit and now Brighton have the benefit of their structure with the add on of a more dynamic style of play. They start defending higher than before but will still look to force the opponent wide before truly committing to a press.
Lampard will know that Brighton has never defeated Chelsea and Potter has never defeated him but that does not mean the Blues can throw caution to the wind. They will stay patient in the face of Chelsea’s press and try to find ways around it. Brighton will also target the spaces left behind by the fullbacks.
Overall, this game could very well play out in the same fashion as the Leicester game. Chelsea’s greatest advantage will be that Brighton is very much a work in progress in comparison to even Chelsea. The organization of the club is long standing but the possession still needs some work. That will lead to mistakes which will lead to Chelsea counters.
So long as the Blues do not waste their chances, this should be straight forward. But the longer it goes on, the more dangerous Brighton will get. The Blues need to put this one to bed as early as possible to put Brighton into damage control. Otherwise it may become more cagey than necessary.