Arsenal v Brighton, time to step things up.

Morning all.

The Christmas festivities over for another year, Arsenal get back to business with a home fixture against a Brighton team which has gone through a bit of a rough patch. To be fair, so have Arsenal as far as performances go. Thankfully though, we’ve somehow managed to grind out positive results at the same time.

But let’s be honest, we need to improve dramatically, especially in the final third of the pitch. The goal scoring opportunities have been there, but they’ve been spurned. Take the last game, we should have been home and dry by half-time but ended up needing penalties to decide the game.  

As always, Adrian Clarke, writing in the official matchday programme:

Hurzeler is a big fan of a 4-2-3-1 formation, using it in every Premier League match so far this season. Both full-backs will invert into central areas on occasion to create an extra man inside the engine room. When that happens, we must look out for the opposite full-back bombing forward to support attacks. 

When they choose to do so, Brighton can build attacks patiently, with only four sides producing a greater number of passing sequences that exceed 10 passes this term. Where possible, the Seagulls will take risks as well, drawing opponents onto them before playing through the press. They are very comfortable in possession.

Since becoming head coach, Hurzeler has developed a more rounded tactical approach, that allows them to be stylistically flexible depending on who they are facing. While they like to control games, Brighton have actually had better results when enjoying the minority share of possession, and five of their first six Premier League wins in 2025/26 saw them have less than 50% possession. Playing that way, they took the scalps of Manchester City, Newcastle United and Chelsea. 

Hurzeler loves his team to press, and because they do it in an aggressive but coordinated manner, often springing a midfielder from deep to harass the man on the ball, Brighton have had more shots from high turnovers than anyone else. That said, they backed off in a recent clash away to Liverpool, retreating into a mid-pitch block that lacked their usual energy and verve.

The two clubs met earlier in the season in the League Cup with Mikel Arteta’s side coming out on top thanks to a goal a piece from Ethan Nwaneri and Bukayo Saka. I don’t think we can take that game into consideration much today as both managers rotated/rested players. Arteta actually made ten changes to the side which had beaten Crystal Palace just a few days earlier.

I imagine Arteta will go back to the big guns today with Gyokeres, Calafiori, Hincapie, Saka, Trossard, Raya, Odegaard, Zubimendi returning to the starting eleven. Fitness depending of course but as neither Hincapie or Martinelli could be seen in the official training photographs, both could be missing today. 

In his press conference, Arteta was vague about Havertz and Gabriel’s return. No surprise there of course but it’s inevitable that one day, their names will be in the squad. I’ve a hunch that day could be today, for one if not both.

Regardless, we need a good performance from those who are fit, a no fuss three points and no more injuries because in a few days time, the players play again. If things go to plan, we might even get to see all five substitutes deployed….

Catch up in the comments.