Post Match report for the Crystal Palace game - Monday, 22nd February 2021
PREMIER LEAGUE 20/21: Brighton V C Palace - 22/2/21, P25.
* * * ALBION BACK IN D-Z DOLDRUMS * * *
RESULT: 1-2 ~ Veltman . (h-t 0-1) . SHAPE: 3-4-3
VENUE: the Amex, Falmer - thirteenth home match of twenty-five matches to date . Monday 8pm.
Game played behind closed doors as per ongoing covid lockdown restrictions.
PRE-MATCH: a pathway forwards allowing supporters to re-enter stadiums in future was proposed today.
Home advantage is something discerned from an audible atmosphere of amassed fans but for obvious
reasons this was currently unavailable.
WEATHER: damp, mild evening in late February.
GRAHAM POTTER had been setting a trend while overseeing an unbeaten run since middle of January.
His mission was to prolong such a rare series for as long as possible and elevate Seagulls from
perpetual life stuck in the bottom six.
Apparently this sequence now coincided with a settled starting eleven, which also broke with
previous patterns of play and policy.
TEAM . . . . . . . . 26 Sanchez
. . . . . . . 3 White, 5 Dunk, 33 Burn
. 34 Veltman, 13 Gross, 8 Bissouma, 17 Alzate
. 10 Mac Allister . . 9 Maupay . . . 11 Trossard
BENCH: 23 Steele, 15 Moder, 24 Propper, 24 Propper, 22 Tau, 29 Zeqiri, 7 Connolly.
18 Welbeck (46), 14 Lallana (68), 16 Jahanbakhsh (81).
GOALS: 0-1 - 28 . visitors first threat of any real intent was converted with relish to properly embarrass hosts.
1-1 - 55 . VELTMAN finishes a fluid move involving Gross, Trossard and Welbeck.
1-2 - 95 . hosts humiliation is confirmed when sucker punched at the death.
INCIDENTS: 8 - Bissouma blasts over . 18 - Maupay air shot . 33 - Veltman off target . 37 - Mac Allister pop .
46 - Welbeck wide . 60 - multiple blocks by visitors . 65 - pinball in Palace box . 70 - Lallana shoots over .
74 - Lallana dig over . 88 - Jahanbakhsh blocked .
YELLOWS: 52 - Burn . 84 - Veltman.
SUBS: 46 - Welbeck for Alzate . 68 - Lallana for Mac Allister . 81 - Jahanbakhsh for Gross.
TIMELINE: possession and assuming direction of motion amounted to zilch, zero and zip when Eagles swooped against run of play.
Locals modus operandi had reverted to ineffectual forays where the away defence remained very comfortable.
At halftime there was an urgent requirement to address a distinct lack of chances taken, by either changing tactics, personnel or both.
Potter put on a striker for beginning of the second period, reshaped to 442 and upped speed of movement.
At full time it completed an exercise in attacking practice without registering a positive end product.
FUNDAMENTALS: poss 75%-25%, on target 5-2, off target 20-1, corners 13-0,
fouls 11-6, yellows 2-0, subs 3-2, shape 343-433 . . . . gd-6 pt26 po16
CONCLUSION: two steps forward and one back which has exposed basic flaws in a strategy able to cope in open football but which struggles against two banks of defenders sitting deep throughout and conceding only possession.
FS
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