After securing their highest top-flight placing in the club’s history with last season’s ninth-placed finish, Brighton have picked up from where they left off this time around, with a 0-0 draw at home
against Newcastle United sandwiched by impressive away wins at Manchester United and West Ham United in the opening weeks of the campaign.
Despite the Seagulls making huge forward strides under the management of Graham Potter since he took over in 2019, both in terms of playing style and results, the most common shortcoming
of Brighton under the former Swansea City boss was laid bare in that stalemate against Newcastle at the Amex Stadium: an inability to turn chances into as many goals as they should score.
Even last season, Brighton picked up 29 of their 51 points away from home, having only won five times and scored 19 goals in 19 games on home soil. This has created a curious discrepancy between the team’s tangible progress and the home fans’ general happiness at times.
As such, Saturday’s home match against an in-form Leeds side is arguably a much bigger game for Brighton than many neutrals may expect it to be, especially as it was after last season’s 0-0
draw at home against the Lilywhites when a loud minority of Brighton fans booed their team off the pitch in frustration, having seen their side dominate yet another match without the three points to show for it.
It would be fair to say this reaction left Potter utterly perplexed, with him remarking, “Maybe I need a history lesson on this club.” In reality, any pressure on the 47-year-old’s shoulders is
minimal, though, especially after another brilliant performance from his team on the road against West Ham last time out, with Leandro Trossard wrapping up the victory after a vintage team move.
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Still, he will undoubtedly want to improve on last season’s home record in order to potentially finish in an even higher position while keeping the home fans happy. If they can come out of the other side of Saturday’s test against Leeds with three points, Brighton could prove to be a very tough force to stop for any side this season.
Leeds, on the other hand, had a disappointing second season back in the Premier League having made such a positive impact upon their return, only narrowly escaping relegation after beating Brentford on the final day of the campaign.
It came with a heavy heart when Leeds’ board acted to replace Marcelo Bielsawith Jesse Marsch in the dugout in February earlier this year, especially given the bond that ‘El Loco’ had formed with the local fans and community after four years of exceptional service.
