Arsenal vs Brighton: 3 tactics to beat Graham Potter’s side

Coming off a superb 3-1 victory over Tottenham last time out, Arsenal travel to Brighton to face Graham Potter’s high-flying Seagulls next in the Premier League.

Coming off a 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace in which they needed a late goal from Neal Maupay in the 95th minute to snatch a point, Brighton are full of confidence. Despite that draw, the Seagulls have started the season flying and are sitting sixth in the league, winning four of its six games, scoring eight goals.

For Arsenal, the news of Granit Xhaka’s long injury lay-off took some of the shine off their North London Derby win but the Gunners come into this one on the back of four consecutive wins and an aura of confidence has surrounded the club.

A win for Mikel Arteta’s side would remarkably bring the Gunners within two points of leaders Liverpool who face Manchester City on Sunday night.

3 key areas of Brighton to look at for Arsenal and Mikel Arteta if they are to beat Graham Potter’s side in the Premier League on Saturday

But that isn’t where the focus should lie. It’s too soon to be keeping a glance at the table as continuing this run and ‘taking one game at a time’ is what Arteta will be telling his team who can head into the upcoming international break with a vastly differing outlook from the previous set of World Cup qualifiers.

While no easy game, Brighton is one of a set of fixtures coming up where the Gunners can begin making up for their early season failures. Potter’s side are in good form, but so are Arsenal. That confidence must be channeled into another positive performance.

So, how does Arsenal secure a fifth consecutive win away to Brighton? There are three key areas to look at.

1. Keep Arch Nemesis Neal Maupay in Check

Nearly all Arsenal fans still hold a grudge against the Brighton frontman after his ‘bump’ on Bernd Leno back in June of 2020 as the German shot-stopper was collecting a long ball played in for Maupay. It was a clear foul, one that in some intriguing butterfly effect might have resulted in the club signing Aaron Ramsdale, but that is a discussion for another day.

Brighton’s No. 9 has been in fine form so far this season, scoring four goals in six games as his efforts have led the Seagulls into the sixth position in the Premier League.

Fresh off a last-minute equalizer against Crystal Palace, the French striker will be looking to add to his tally against the Gunners, which currently stands at two.

The job of stopping Maupay will fall to Arsenal’s back four as a whole. Gabriel, Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Kieran Tierney will all be tasked with trying to curtail Maupay as he has shown this season that his movement is clever, direct and coupled with relentless running.

Furthermore, everyone will be aware of his mind games. Maupay is the guy who doesn’t skip the replays on FIFA. Looking for someone to rile up, Gabriel and possibly even former teammate White will be on the agenda. He is their danger man this season.

The two centre-backs in particular will need to be on top of their game as they have been over the past few weeks, with communication vital at what will be a raucous AMEX Stadium. Previous fixtures have turned this one into a sort of mini-rivalry.

2. Arsenal Must Match Brighton’s Energy Across the Board

The home side will be up for this one. For Arsenal, matching the Seagulls’ energy and commitment will be paramount in getting a positive result. Potter has lifted the fitness levels of this side hugely since taking charge, with the manner they close down the opposition and press intelligently all vastly improved across his tenure.

Against Tottenham, especially in the first half, Arsenal was irresistible. Hunting and chasing down opponents with a vigor that is rarely seen from the north London club. In the second half, however, Arsenal managed the game well with the way they simply matched Spurs’ intensity and Arteta will know that the Seagulls won’t be as tepid as Tottenham were in that opening half.

Should Brighton get on top early and get a sense Arsenal are not at the races, then they will be spurred on by their home fans who will smell blood. This is a team who like to gain control early into proceedings.

Away games are notoriously difficult for teams in the Premier League but when it comes to Arsenal, the ‘soft’ notion has always been carried with them. The club have put that to rest in recent seasons and demonstrated that this term against Burnley, even if this will be a different type of physical test: energy and pressing as opposed to aerial and ground duels.

Arsenal is going to have to bring the same energy from the North London Derby if it is to get anything from this contest with a Brighton team that is full of confidence. Throughout the meetings between the two the Seagulls have never shown fear in these fixtures.

3. Arsenal Need to Press and Exploit Brighton’s Tall Defenders

Fielding a back three against Crystal Palace consisting of Lewis Dunk, Dan Burn, and Shane Duffy, which is likely to be the same on Saturday, Arsenal’s frontline have the pace to get at trio not boasting the highest technical ability or speed.

The likes of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe, Martin Odegaard, and Nicolas Pepe if played, all must use creativity and pace respectively to get in and behind the Brighton defense. Keep stretching the pitch.

In their meeting back in December of 2020, this rang true; Saka received the ball on the halfway line with Dan Burn tight to him. The youngster then turned the defender and used his pace to go past Burn and make his way into the box only to lay off the ball to Alexandre Lacazette who hit his shot first time and into the net to give Arsenal the lead.

This is a weakness in the Brighton defense can be got at, and although this is a slightly different side to that one, it gives a glimpse of what pace can do against this outfit. There will be no joy aerially. As Arsenal did against Spurs in keeping Saka high and wide, when pace and width is utilized correctly as it was in that meeting, it could be a long afternoon for anyone, including Potter’s side.

It shapes up to be yet another defining moment for Arteta and his Arsenal side as they started turning a corner with four wins on the trot. The indicators are on, they just need to turn the wheel.

Winning away to Brighton would help solidify Arteta’s position as Gunners boss and most importantly, it would bring to within touching distance of the pointy end of the league table, something that seemed impossible just weeks ago.