Dario’s Brighton: How Seike was the difference

In a game of cat and mouse – Brighton’s Seike snatched the cheese with a hat trick on debut. The home side played a high stakes kind of game and there’s no doubt it paid off. 

I’ll admit to taking very little notice of Brighton before this season. So whether they’ve changed or brought in a coach that plays their style I can’t say. What I can say is that they played a distinctive Dario-style against Everton to open the season.  

Much like Melbourne City, Vidosic’s new side were set on playing out from the back. It worked a treat in the first half while the Toffees didn’t look interested in a high press, instead opting for a compressed deeper-lying defensive structure. 

That did change by the second half. 

Seemingly cottoning on, and chasing the match a goal down, early in the second half Everton started putting pressure on defenders toying with the ball. It nearly pulled off 10 minutes in when the Seagulls looked shaky. But ultimately it spread the game and with Sieke, the risk paid off.

Obviously from Seike’s hat trick, Brighton’s wings were flying. She had knocked on the door in the opening half an hour, and the warnings went unheeded to transpire a scoring-spree. The Japanese forward’s combination with Fran Kirby seems a natural one after one competitive match together. With a host of entertaining and deadly forwards coming in over the summer, this pairing could easily motor the attack for a scintillating season.

Immediately, a 4-0 trouncing of Everton is a huge boost. It will be interesting how teams adapt to Brighton’s style. Do they press high early to rattle a defence that looked easily rattled? Or do they protect against a quick counter, like Everton in the first half, with a deeper lying unit off the ball. 

Then another dimension is added against the WSL’s three title favourites. It’s unlikely Brighton will dictate play the way they did in the opener, and they won’t have it easy up the other end with the quick counter.

This will be quickly tested next weekend when the Albion travel to Manchester to face the Blues on a hunt for their first win.

Vidosic struggled to adapt tactics in the Dub, but will he grow in the UK? Only time will tell. It’s going to be fun watching.