AFC Bournemouth
AFC Bournemouth will be hoping for a repeat performance when they face Premier League rivals Brighton at the Amex Stadium tomorrow (12.30pm kick-off).
Goals from Dan Gosling, Ryan Fraser, David Brooks, Callum Wilson and Junior Stanislas saw the Cherries triumph 5-0 at the Sussex venue in April.
Since then, the Seagulls have had a change of manager with former Östersund and Swansea City boss Graham Potter replacing Chris Hughton in May.
Under Potter, Brighton have experienced fluctuating fortunes this season and are currently 15th in the Premier League, one place above the Cherries with both teams on 20 points.
The Seagulls won 3-0 at Watford on the opening day and beat Tottenham, Everton and Norwich at the Amex between early October and the start of November.
Their only victory since then came when they triumphed 2-1 against Arsenal at the Emirates earlier this month.
Ahead of the clash, afcb.co.uk caught up with Andy Naylor, who covers the fortunes of Brighton for The Athletic.
afcb.co.uk: What’s your assessment of the first half of the season for the Seagulls?
AN: It’s still very much a work in progress under Graham Potter and the similarities between him and Chris Hughton begin and end with their personalities.
They both have a great deal of integrity and are honest, polite and keep things very level whether they win, lose or draw.
In my opinion, they probably could have done better in the first half of the season. I think they will look and reflect on a lot of games where they should have got more points. Some of their performances have certainly merited more points.
afcb.co.uk: What’s been the biggest difference under Graham Potter (pictured above)?
AN: There has been a dramatic shift in the playing style. With Chris Hughton, you pretty much knew what you were going to get.
It was predominantly 4-4-1-1 in the first season in the Premier League and that developed into a 4-3-3 in the second season. Substitutions were usually fairly formulated and the system itself was fairly rigid. You knew where players would play and they would play in regular positions.
Under Graham Potter, there has been a total transformation. The system changes not just from game to game but quite often during games.
We have seen players playing in positions that are unfamiliar to what we knew before and he’s only 19 games in.
They have made progress in certain aspects, particularly the amount of possession they have during games. But it’s very much a work in progress and that’s reflected in where they are in the table at the moment.
afcb.co.uk: Are any key players either injured or suspended against the Cherries?
AN: They’ve got a reasonably clean bill of health and there are no suspensions.
The only injuries are Solly March who had a groin operation a couple of weeks ago and isn’t expected to be back until early January and José Izquierdo who had a second knee operation and is still some way off.
Lewis Dunk missed the Tottenham game through illness so we don’t know whether he will be ready for Bournemouth.
Martin Montoya, who has been the main right-back, rolled an ankle in training ahead of the Tottenham game but was on the bench. He was going to come on at 1-1 but then Spurs scored. I’d imagine he’ll be available.
afcb.co.uk: Give us a brief assessment of the summer signings?
AN: They have all made contributions.
Adam Webster scored his third goal at Tottenham and has had one or two difficult moments as well.
Leandro Trossard started very well and has made an impact as a substitute, but he’s been hit by a couple of injuries on international duty with Belgium.
Neal Maupay, who they signed for £16m from Brentford, has seven goals so far and the next best is Webster with three. He has been the chief threat.
Aaron Mooy, who is on a season-long loan from Huddersfield, is really coming on and has started to look really influential in recent games.
afcb.co.uk: On current form, who is Brighton’s player to watch?
AN: Aaron Mooy (pictured above).
He’s shown himself to be very versatile in terms of the role he plays in midfield and has popped up on the left and right side.
He’s really strong on the ball and good in possession. And he’s beginning to show signs he could be a goal threat, which they have really lacked from midfield. He’s not afraid to have a shot from distance.
He was sent off at Aston Villa recently which was very much out of character for him. It set him back a bit because he missed three games.
But he looks like he’s really beginning to settle in and is becoming a key figure.
afcb.co.uk: Do you think this is a must win for both teams?
AN: No, because it’s only the 20th game and we shouldn’t lose sight of that. It’s only the first game of the second half of the season and there is still a very long way to go.
It’s tempting to attach too much importance to this one game but, clearly, looking at the way the table is shaping up, it’s a significant fixture and perhaps more significant than it was looking three or four weeks ago.
afcb.co.uk: What’s your score prediction?
AN: Brighton haven’t beaten Bournemouth in the past ten league meetings, stretched over three divisions. And at the back of every Brighton supporters’ mind is the 5-0 capitulation in April.
Given the amount of injuries Bournemouth have Brighton will probably not have a better opportunity to end that sequence so I’m going for a 2-1 home win.
You can follow Andy on Twitter – @AndyNaylorBHAFC
Match officials: Paul Tierney (referee), Daniel Cook (assistant), Marc Perry (assistant), James Linington (fourth official), Graham Scott (VAR), Andy Halliday (assistant VAR).
