Brighton manager Roberto De Zerbi on Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March form, Julio Enciso injury and Evan Ferguson potential | Football News

Powerhouse clubs prised key players from Brighton for a third season running this summer, but “it’s not a problem” says Seagulls boss Roberto De Zerbi. “The most important [thing] is to find replacements.”

Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister were the club’s midfield engines last term – but both players left the club for pastures new, joining Chelsea and Liverpool respectively for a combined sum of £170m.

Despite this, Brighton enter the third round of league fixtures top of the pack following back-to-back 4-1 wins against Luton and Wolves.

“We are top of the table but we have only played two games,” says De Zerbi in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports. “We are at the beginning. We keep playing and we keep winning. We would like to stay at the top of the table and we know it will be very difficult, but we start [against West Ham].

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“Our quality of play [has impressed me most so far]. We’ve scored a lot of goals in the two games but we can still play better and we can score more. We have analysed the last two games because we conceded one goal from a penalty and the second from a set-piece. We can still improve.”

Stars step up

While the team as a whole has shone in their two games to date, Japan international Kaoru Mitoma and Solly March have shone brightest. Both were among the standout performers last season but appear on course to take those performances to the next level this term.

Mitoma appeared to defy physics with his solo, wonder goal against Wolves: collecting the ball on the left flank – almost on the halfway line – cutting inside one opponent, shrugging off a second and bursting through two more before slipping the ball past Jose Sa.

De Zerbi holds nothing back when it comes to heaping praise on his rising star: “I think he’s one of the best players in the world at 1vs1s.”

Meanwhile, March goes into the weekend sitting joint-top of the goalscoring chart with three goals, alongside Brentford forward Bryan Mbeumo – having netted the opener against Luton and scoring twice at Molineux. De Zerbi has tasked March to reach 15 goals in this campaign and believes his in-form winger can reach even higher levels.

“March is improving in confidence,” says De Zerbi. “He has understood he can score a lot of goals because you have to create the chance – to be in the right place at the right moment. We are working on it. He is a great player.”

It does not stop there. Despite the seasonal raids on their top stars, the club still possesses two of the most sought-after youngsters in world football: 18-year-old striker Evan Ferguson and 19-year-old Julio Enciso.

Speaking in his press conference, De Zerbi revealed the former will lead the line against West Ham on Saturday, while the latter will be unavailable for a “long period” through injury.

Ferguson oozes stature, power and prowess unparalleled for his age, while Enciso ranks among the very elite in his age group across Europe for dribbling ability and creativity.

“Both are bigger than their real age,” says the Italian. “They are already very important players in the Premier League and we are lucky to have them.

“Ferguson is a very important player. We have a lot of attackers and I have to decide the starting XI depending on the physical condition of the players, and, consider, like at the moment, injuries to the other players, for example.

“I’m very sad about the injury for Julio. You know injuries can happen in football. He has to react in a good way and come back better.”

Tactical philosophy

De Zerbi has certainly picked up the baton from former Brighton manager Graham Potter in deploying an expansive, attractive style of football. Back in 2021, the Italian secured back-to-back eighth-placed finishes with Serie A minnows Sassuolo on a shoestring budget – threatening to disrupt the league’s status quo. Sound familiar?

So what is his philosophy?

“We show courage. We show patience. We command the game. We are protagonists on the pitch, enjoy the pitch and make our fans happy. This is the secret.”

Going into the weekend, Brighton had scored nearly twice as many goals as any other team and topped the rankings across a raft of statistics, included expected goals, assists and high turnovers leading to shots.

Additionally, only Aston Villa have recorded more ‘direct attacks’ – defined as open-play sequences which start just inside the team’s half and have at least 50 per cent movement towards the opposition’s goal and end with a shot or touch in the opposition box.

Goals are coming from numerous sources: a league-topping six Brighton players have already got off the mark – showing the replenishing depths of De Zerbi’s attacking resources – despite Danny Welbeck yet to register a goal.

In terms of broader style, Brighton rank among the top teams for patient build-up play, while also being dangerous on the break. Only Chelsea and Spurs have registered higher proportions for short passes, while only Arsenal typically travel further upfield during passing sequences.

The Seagulls also rank among the elite for holding a high line (start distance) and they have also clocked more completed passes in the final third than domestic and European champions Manchester City this season.

De Zerbi demands the style, but he also has complete faith in his players’ execution of the plan. “I give the idea to my players, but the players are very, very smart, very clear,” he says.

“They understand the intensity of the opponent pressure. They understand the line pass. I give instructions but, on the pitch, they understand they have to make decisions, for sure.”

Ecuador full-back Pervis Estupinan is another Brighton player shining consistently, who, along with Mitoma, has contributed to a skew of attacks down the left channel – something which also occurred over the course of last season to a lesser degree.

“I think we are attacking more down the left side because Pervis is a unique player,” says De Zerbi. “He is a full-back but he attacks like a winger. Down the left side, we often play with two wingers. It [sounds] impossible to say, but it’s true.

“Estupinan is a key player for us. He’s playing in a fantastic way. I think he’s improving in a lot of things. He can improve and become even better, but he’s still one of the best full-backs in the Premier League [now].”

Speaking on Monday Night Football, Karen Carney explained how Brighton effectively use a ‘box midfield’, which consists of four players – two deeper pivots and two No 10s.

That midfield domination, coupled with the left-sided skew, produces the shot and chances-created maps displayed below – which reveals the locations of Brighton’s league-topping numbers for shots, goals and assists.

Pressing high is all the rage and Brighton are frightfully effective at turnovers in the final third, usually using a zonal one-man press to harry opponents as they attempt to build from the back.

The chart below displays the average number of opposition passes a team allows before making a defensive action – so a lower number is better. The Seagulls rank fourth in the league for this metric across the two games – behind only Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea.

“When we have the ball, [I want my team] to keep the focus, create the right condition,” says the Italian. “If we lose the ball, we have to be ready to react and not concede the counter. When we are defending, [we have to try and] take the ball back.

“We try to be very aggressive in every area of the pitch, but we know if we play well, if we work well in this situation, we have the possibility to score – but we always have to be focused because we also can’t take any risks. Yes, [it’s more zonal pressing]. If you defend man to man, you are taking risks.”

There is a league-wide trend towards recruiting young players with high energy to help fuel pressing from the front – another growing trend – but Brighton have maintained their effectiveness with a comparatively older side so far this term.

Indeed, most of Brighton’s big-money departures over the past three seasons have been aged 24 and under, which could explain why De Zerbi’s side currently rank as the second oldest in the division. So is he looking for that experience or has it been forced upon him?

“We lost three very important players this summer, Caicedo, Mac Allister and Levi Colwill, but we are still a young squad,” he says. “Welbeck has been playing because his physical condition is incredible, but we can play with two other players aged 18 or 19, no problem.

“I don’t decide the starting XI depending on the age. Age, for me, it’s not important. The most important things is the quality. If an 18-year-old is better than a 33-year-old, then I have no doubt [playing the 18-year-old].

“(James) Milner has run like an 18-year-old and his experience is incredible. His attitude, his motivation and his behaviour. But if [Tariq] Lamptey deserves to play in place of Milner, I would have not doubt and I have no problem.”

Recruitment perfection

It’s almost mind-boggling. In just three years, Brighton have sold Ben White (£50m), Marc Cucurella (£63m), Yves Bissouma (£35m), Neal Maupay (£15m), Dan Burn £13m), Caicedo (£115m), Mac Allister (£55m), Landro Trossard (£27m) and Robert Sanchez (£25m). And they are only the deals exceeding £10m.

The club has raked in close to £400m in that time, of which £370m has come directly from clubs belonging to the so-called ‘Big Six’.

The signings this summer remain relatively modest, with Watford forward Joao Pedro topping the pack with his £30m price tag.

Milner was drafted in on a free transfer to deliver experience for the group, 18-year-old Noel Atom was snapped up from RB Leipzig, 25-year-old centre-back Igor Julio cost £14.6m from Fiorentina, while Bart Verbruggen was signed for £16.3m to replace Chelsea-bound Sanchez.

The club’s transfer business over the past three years alone has produced staggering returns – exceeding £250m profit. But is the model sustainable? Can Brighton keep selling their star players and unearthing new gems to replace them?

“It’s one of the secrets at Brighton: our recruitment. The players are great and it’s easier for me, or a coach, to work with great players – but we need some new players,” says De Zerbi.

“We are Brighton and we know we can lose important players at the end of a season. It’s not a problem. The most important [thing] is to find the replacements, the right replacements, the right players – if we want to keep this level. And we have the same motivation – the same target.

“And then, at the end of the season, we will see. Ferguson, Enciso, Mitoma, [Jan Paul] van Hecke, [Billy] Gilmour, Lamptey – we have a lot of very good players we could sell in the future. But, in the present, I think, and I hope, we can sign some players – because we need it.”

Will Brighton make it three wins from three games and maintain top spot in the Premier League table? Watch Brighton vs West Ham live on Sky Sports Premier League from 5pm on Saturday to find out.