Brighton v Arsenal – a stiff challenge…

Morning guys.

Max Dowman, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Marli Salmon, Theo Julienne and Ife Ibrahim, all 19 years old or younger, all have been given a chance by Mikel Arteta and none have disappointed. Two are already first team players, one an absolute regular. Salmon is looking like the most natural centre back at 17 years old I’ve seen in an Arsenal shirt in years and the other two, well, I hope this is just the start for them as it was for Salmon and Dowman a year or so ago.

Arsenal snapped up a number of under 21 players during the summer, most from other Premier League clubs and on Friday, the club announced that England U-16 striker Vincent Joseph has also made the move to the red side of north London. Signing him from Liverpool bring a smile to my face.

Whilst it’s highly unlikely that Salmon and Dowman, or any young player for that matter, will be playing each week, what’s been obvious is that when they have played they have been very very good. Remember when Haaland said to Myles Lewis-Skelly something along the lines of “who are you”? Well, he and the rest in the game know who he is by now. Myles has been selected to play for England which comes as no surprise to me as he’s been in fine form for his club. He’s not been listed as a defender either, he’s in with the midfield group.

Brighton is Arsenal’s test today and I think it’s going to prove to be the toughest test yet for Mikel Arteta’s players. We’ll be without William Saliba this afternoon but every other player could be line to make the squad. Yep, even Ben White, Jurrien Timber and Cristhian Mosquera which is excellent news. Whether they start or not is only something Arteta knows.

I’m pretty sure Kai Havertz will return to the starting eleven, especially after Viktor Gyokeres’ struggles in midweek. Goodness knows what is going on with him but whatever it is, I hope he can sort himself out. If it’s a fallout with Arteta, the pair could do with sitting down, drawing a line under the summer sand and our striker getting back to being the kind of player he was last season. Better even because he has a big role to play over the next seven months. All the time he’s an Arsenal player, I want him to do well. Kai Havertz isn’t my football cup of tea, nor is Noni Madueke but once the referee blows his whistle at the start of a game, all I want is to see them do well. More of the Madueke we saw against Ipswich would do nicely. By the way, Tuchel has left him out of his England squad. 

Arsenal’s Adrian Clarke has been talking tactics ahead of the match:

Hurzeler’s team will present arguably our stiffest challenge so far this season. They move the ball around fluently, score goals freely and are a side designed to disrupt the flow of their opponents. They are the best pressing side in the division right now, registering 41 high turnovers, and Hurzeler loves his team to play aggressively, so our players must strap themselves in for a high-tempo, physical battle. Facing an opponent who plays this way might suit us. We are certainly playing well enough to pass through Brighton’s press, and if we manage that, we can expose a defence that is still bedding in as a unit. Brighton conceded four times at Chelsea, and in most matches, keeper Bart Verbruggen has been kept busy, preventing an extra 1.4 goals being scored in 2026/27.

Averaging almost 71% possession across four league fixtures, they like to dictate, so this may not be a contest we control matters inside the opposition half. Hassling their midfield unit of Pascal Gross and Yasin Ayari will be key to disrupting their flow. Again, this type of game may help, rather than hinder us, as no Premier League side has produced more direct attacks (11) than us. Veteran midfielder Gross is in sparkling form, so he is the danger man. In open play, he is level with Martin Odegaard for the most chances created (11) in this campaign. Left winger Maxim de Cuyper is another player we must keep close tabs on as the Belgian has been bright and imaginative during the early weeks, directly contributing to four goals in all competitions.

Darren England, not one of the Premier League’s finest referees is in charge of this game. I was going to say control but if he starts controlling it to suit his own narrative, we could be in trouble. Post Sunderland match, Arteta had a bit of a rant about the officials as a whole. He was right in what he said but I hope it doesn’t cost us today or in future games. It shouldn’t of course because he was simply answering questions put to him but I think we all know by now, Webbs lot will take a mile if Arsenal players give them an inch.

I’d love to see Arsenal go out there this afternoon and play Brighton off the park and win the game with a confident and clinical performance. Go into the international break on a positive note and then we can all enjoy the next three weeks…

Catch up in the comments.