Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. vs. Manchester City F.C.
Premier League
Saturday 12 August, 17:30
Falmer Stadium, Brighton
It is finally here after a barren summer with youth football and the women's Euros as only respite: D-day, Match Day. On Saturday Manchester City travel to the south coast to kick off the new season against newly promoted Brighton & Hove Albions.
I know I say this every August, but I do not think I have ever been this excited for a new season to start. After a couple of frankly uninspiring campaigns, there is a real buzz around the whole club ahead of Pep Guardola's second season at the helm. This summer has seen a veritable overhaul of the City squad taking place, bringing the average age down by roughly three and a half year to a level in parity with the squads from the last two title-winning season. But it's not only a question of replacing old, tired legs with younger, fresher. The quality of the new signings is mouthwatering.
Up front Brazilian wunderkind, Gabriel Jesus, feels like a whole new signing, having missed most of the spring campaign due to a metatarsal fracture sustained shortly after he arrived in the January window. It will be exciting to see what he can accomplish alongside a fresh and rested Kun Agüero. Added to that is City's first signing of the summer, 23-year-old Portuguese Bernardo Silva – a tantalizing, young attacking player who dazzled the City fans with his performances for Monaco in last season's Champions League battle between the two clubs. With players like Sterling, Sané and Silva “the Original” still on the books, City can now bolster arguably the most potent attacking force in England, maybe even in all of Europe.
However, it is at the other end of the pitch that the real revolution has taken place. Much maligned keeper, Claudio Bravo, has new competition in the young, Brazilian international Ederson, who has looked very strong in pre-season (let us ignore the clanger he dropped in his first game for the club in the "Lone Star Derby"). With Bravo just back from an extended holiday after his Confederation Cup bravado, Willy Caballero's replacement looks likely to pick up the spot as first choice keeper and City look all the stronger for it.
When it comes to full backs City have gone from Zimmer frames to Walker. The 27-year -old former Spurs-player is joined by French power house, Benjamin Mendy, and versatile Brazilian and ex-Madridista, Danilo. It is always sad to have to say goodbye to old club heroes and trusted servants like Zabaleta, Clichy, Kolarov and Sagna, but if the performance of Walker and Danilo in pre-season is anything to go by, we are in for a real treat. Their shear pace and attacking threat gives Pep a whole new tactical avenue to explore this season, and also allows for much more flexibility. The Catalan is likely to stick to this summer's 3-5-2 experiment, but will probably mix it up with the more familiar 4-3-3 and 4-1-4-1 formations from last season. Who knows, every now and then we might even see Pep opting for a traditional 4-4-2 with Jesus and Kun together upfront (although I suspect Sterling will also be used in this role).
Exciting is the word! And still I haven't talked about the brilliants displays from teenagers Phil Foden and Brahim Díaz on the US tour, or the possible signings that may still be completed before the transfer window closes at the end of the month. But let us move on to THE GAME.
The Opponent
I will not pretend to know all too much about Premier League debutants Brighton & Hove Albion. I do not watch more than a handful Championship games a season, and the last time the Seagulls and City faced off in a league game was back in 1989 in the Second Division (the match ended in a 2-1 defeat for the Skye Blues). That said, Brighton have a few good seasons behind them in the second tier before finally taking the final step to the Premiership, and have been lauded for their disciplined, high pressure counter attacking football. The atmosphere at Falmer Stadium is likely to be electric on Saturday night and former RoI international Chris Hughton's players will need no extra motivation.
Despite having broken their own transfer record three times this summer, Brighton’s dealings in the transfer market have been relatively modest. The first record signing was Australian keeper Mathew Ryan who was bought from Valencia at the beginning of the transfer window. The 25-year-old was never able to make his mark in Spain and in January he was shipped off to Belgian side Racing Genk on a successful loan spell, which earned him the transfer to the Premier League.
The second record signing, Dutch international Davy Pröpper, was brought in from PSV Eindhoven at the beginning of this week for a fee in the region of £10m. Pröpper is a proper box-to-box midfielder, and at 25 it is time for the Champions League merited player to take the next step in his career. However, Dutch signings from the Eredivisie have been a bit hit-and-miss in England lately, and the question is if Pröpper will turn out to be a new Clasie (Southampton) or Janssen (Tottenham) who have both flattered to deceive, or if he will be able to adapt to English football like Middleborough’s Maarten de Roon.
The Pröpper record only lasted for a couple of days. On Thursday, Brighton completed the transfer of Jose Izquierdo from Club Brugge for a fee believed to be around £13.5m + add-ons. The Colombian winger has been one of the best players in Belgium over the last seasons. In 2015/2016, he was voted player of the year and last season he managed 16 goals in all competition.
Another new player to look out for is the 21-year-old Dutch winger, Soufyan Ahannach, who has signed from Almere City. The step from the Dutch second tier to the Premier League is of course enormous and Ahannach is most likely “one for the future”, but the tricky winger set the Jupiler League alight last season with 18 goals and 15 assists.
City
When it comes to predicting how Guardiola will set up his team on Saturday, I might as well hold up my hands and admit that I have no clue. The Catalan will most likely rely heavily on rotation this season, and I do not think he will stick to one standard formation. If the pre-season is anything to go by, a 3-5-2 formation with Walker and Danilo as wingbacks is to be expected. However, I think/guess that Pep will throw a curve ball and start the season off with the much-used 4-3-3 from last season.
The City manager has an almost full squad to choose from, with only Gündoğan and Mendy still not fit to play. However, both Claudio Bravo and newcomer Bernardo Silva are only just back from their extended holidays and will most likely not feature until the unorthodox friendly game against partner club Girona FC on Tuesday.
Predicted starting eleven (4-3-3):
Ederson
Danilo
Kompany
Stones
Walker
Yaya
Silva
KdB
Sané
Sterling
Kun Agüero
Prediction:
I think this will be a very tough game for City. Premier League newcomers usually perform way above their level in the beginning of the season, and I do not think the Seagulls will be an exception. A home game against Pep Guardiola and his City super stars is as good of a motivational fix you can get, so the opponents are sure to be fired up. Add to that a vibrating, beer-fueled Falmer Stadium for a half five Saturday kick-off, and it could all turn into a bit of a nightmare for the boys in blue.
That said, I can’t help feeling excited and optimistic about the season opener. I believe Pep learnt valuable lessons last seasons, and the atmosphere in the team seems great. I do predict difficulties, but I think City are strong enough to overcome them. Predicted score: Brighton & Hove Albion 2 – 3 Manchester City.
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