Seagull Strikers

BBC Sport claimed a 0-0 draw was a fair result for both teams, I would argue it’s more a mirror of Brightons transfer window. A lot of excellent defensive signings were made compared to the relatively few attacking reinforcements which made a clean sheet and a blank at the top make sense.

When you make so many signings in defence it can take a while for a back line to gel but I thought they were excellent, controlled and in control all game.

Minami had a phenomenal debut and showed very intelligent off the ball movement to prevent dangerous attacking play without having to resort to a last ditch tackle. She had a calmness in possession that we lacked at times last season and passed out from the back with purpose.

McLauchlan, Rule and Olislagers also had fantastic games. Even when Rule was caught in possession, her recovery pace enabled her to catch up and regain the ball before it led to a chance. Olislagers was effective at both recycling possession and adding verticality with quick forward passes through the lines. She played positionally with more restraint than we observed last season, often looking to tuck into midfield rather than overlap and this might be part of the reason our attack lacked variety. The back 4 were also fantastic at baiting the opposition attacks into being offside with the flag going up 5 times against Villa.

Nnadozie had a brilliant game as well. She is an imposing figure close up, although at 5ft 8 most people are imposing to me, and showed incredible power with her goal kicks. She wasn’t helped by the wind but she needs to find her range with a minor criticism being her kicks ended up just reaching Roebuck without nearing a Brighton player. She was a commanding presence at corners and set pieces with punches knocking any stray ball that neared the goal. There was a section that gave me a heart attack as she channelled her inner dribbler to bypass the Villa press but it showed a confidence on the ball that I’m sure we’ll get used to.

The solidity of the team beyond the back five was impressive and it’s clear this is a team that is very much aware of Vidosic’s game plan. With 56.9% possession, there was an element of control that makes BBCs comment about a fair result feel inaccurate. This is a team that can keep the ball and impose control, holding a 63% duel win rate dominating tackles and aerial duels.

However, the attacking stats match the eye test. Despite dominating shots, (18 to 12) and touches in the opposition box (29 to 15) we had the same amount of shots on target (4) which is why it felt the game could have gone either way.

The woodwork saved Brighton from a powerful Daly shot and a beautiful Wilms free kick but equally Villa were highly effective in blocking Brighton efforts.

McLauchlan said post game that she felt Brighton needed more patience when working the ball through the box and she certainly has a point. Ironically, Brighton either needed to pull the trigger earlier when the Villa defence was off balance or be more patient trying to find an opportunity and force the defence into a mistake. In the end, they often rushed attacks without shooting and found themselves in positions where it was hard to recycle the ball out wide and try again. This was compounded by some loose touches and through balls in the final third uncharacteristically many of them by Fran Kirby.

Having said that, Villa did find our attacking play uncomfortable as shown by the sheer number of yellow cards (even when ignoring Grant’s card for an unnecessary tantrum!) and their need to make defensive substitutions in order to combat our play.

I was disappointed but not surprised to see Vidosic hold off until 73 minutes to make a Brighton substitution. Noordam and Rayner certainly added some fresh legs to the press and our attacking play regained some speed with one touch passing. I understand that Vidosic wouldn’t want to throw some new signings fresh to the WSL but 60 minutes seemed like a perfect opportunity to replace Seike with Kafija as her tight control and dribbling might have offered a way to break the deadlock. Equally, Camacho looked sharp, quick and hungry when she entered the fray on 90 minutes and showed she’s quite willing to quickly pull the trigger when she gains a sight on goal.

Agyemang had a good game- certainly her defensive numbers were excellent. There were times, however, where we lacked at focal point because Agyemang was too far back. At one point Haley had the ball on the wing and Agyemang was pretty much in the left back position leaving no one in the centre.I also think we looked better when Cankovic dropped back alongside Symonds to allow Noordam to be further forward. Hopefully, some more flexibility in midfield positions will help create better attacking opportunities in future games.

Overall, I leave disappointed about the result but positive about what the performance and the underlying numbers mean for the season. Whereas, I suspect Villa fans will leave happier with the point but concerned about their prospects for the season. If we can add some more dangerous attacking play to our defensive base I’m quite excited about the next few games!