Brighton Quintet Terrorize Manchester City

MANCHESTER, FRIDAY — Brighton and Hove Albion came to the Etihad Stadium with a “broomstick” principle. Five sticks combined are stronger than just one. Brighton relies on a quintet in the front line with equal roles between players. Unlike Manchester City who rely heavily on Erling Haaland.

City will host Brighton at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday (15/3/2025) at 22.00 WIB. The match is very important for both teams to maintain their chances of entering the top four of the Premier League. City (47 points) who are in fifth place are only one point ahead of seventh-placed Brighton (46 points).

Brighton visit the reigning champions on a stunning run of six straight wins in all competitions. The run began after they were “obliterated” by Nottingham Forest in a 7-0 thrashing. Head coach Fabian Hurzeler’s side look reborn.

City, who are still in the doldrums, having lost three of their last five league games, should be wary. "You can see a real togetherness. I can see the team-mates want to win and fight. We are very hard to beat and can beat all the teams in the league," said Brighton striker Joao Pedro.

Pedro is on fire. His call-up to the senior Brazil squad for the international break is proof of that. He has contributed three goals and two assists in his last four games. Interestingly, Brighton are not just about Pedro. They have five players who contribute equally in attack.

In addition to Pedro, the Brighton quintet is strengthened by Danny Welbeck, Georginio Rutter, Kaoru Mitoma, and Yankuba Minteh. "The Seagull" even has four players as the top scorers in all competitions, namely Pedro, Welbeck, Rutter, and Mitoma (8 goals). Minteh trails with six goals.

Hurzeler seems to have found the best formation. Mitoma and Minteh on the wings, Pedro as the spearhead, while Rutter is the attacking midfielder. The attacking line formation has been used in the last four matches. Welbeck usually comes off the bench when the team is stuck.

Minteh, who was nominated for the league's best player for February 2025, has the potential to trouble City in transition. "He (Minteh) has improved a lot, especially when out of possession. He is also increasingly able to smell danger in the opponent's penalty box. I am happy with that development," said Hurzeler.

Brighton have scored 15 goals in their last six games. The Seagulls have contributed 86.6 percent of the goals. Welbeck's minutes have been far below those of any other player, but he has contributed two goals and two assists. Those two goals were decisive in victories over Bournemouth in the league and Newcastle United in the FA Cup.

Meanwhile, City lost to Brighton 1-2 in the first meeting. "Brighton is one of the best clubs on and off the pitch. They have a great young manager and have done great things. It's no secret. They deserve to be in this position," explained City Manager Josep Guardiola.

The collective at Brighton is the opposite of City. They rely heavily on Haaland as a goal machine. Just look at the league, Haaland has contributed 20 goals. No other City player has scored more than seven goals. The role of other players, such as Phil Foden and Jack Grealish, is not as big as last season.

Grealish's dip in form was reflected in the latest England squad announcement. New England head coach Thomas Tuchel did not call up Grealish. Guardiola did not comment much on that. "I want the best for him, but I cannot judge (Tuchel's) decision," Guardiola said.

City, unlike Brighton, are still struggling to get out of a bad run of results. They have suffered three defeats in their last five games, including last week's defeat to Forest. Efficiency on both sides of the penalty box is Guardiola's biggest problem.

Despite being better in terms of trend, Hurzeler still respects City. "City is still one of the best teams in the world and has one of the best managers. It is very important for us to come with humility, but also great confidence. We can beat any team in the league. We have proven that," said the 32-year-old coach. (AP/REUTERS)