'Brighton Have To Convert Performances Into Points'
- Brighton & Hove Albion host Leicester City at AMEX Stadium on Saturday (8pm GMT kick-off)
- The Athletic's Andy Naylor has previewed the fixture for LCFC TV this week
- Naylor believes now is the time for the Seagulls to convert performances into points
- Scoring first has proven to be an essential prerequisite in Brighton wins of late, he continues
Graham Potter's men approach Saturday's Premier League clash with Leicester City sitting 16th in the top-flight standings, just three points clear of an improving Fulham side in the bottom three.
The Seagulls are without a win in five matches, last securing an admirable 1-0 victory over Liverpool at Anfield, but have continued to impress through their performances over recent weeks.
Defeats by Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion, though, have been particularly damaging for Brighton and Naylor admitted it's difficult to predict their fortunes on a game-by-game basis.
"It is a difficult question to answer because we’re talking about a team that went on a six-match unbeaten run, during which they won 1-0 at Anfield against Liverpool, 1-0 at Leeds and they also beat Spurs 1-0 at home," he told LCFC TV earlier this week.
"They were three fantastic results over that period and yet, the reverse side of that coin, is that they’re coming into the game having lost 2-1 at home to local rivals Crystal Palace and 1-0 at West Brom and that’s been a bit of a pattern.
"It’s the teams around them at that end of the table that they’ve really struggled to get results against. It’s a bit difficult to know what to expect against Leicester, who are to be fair, a little bit of a bogey team for them so far since they’ve been in the Premier League."
Brighton's xG (expected goals) stats have often been high throughout the 2020/21 season to date, but goals have remained difficult to come by and, although those figures will be reassuring, Naylor insists it's points which ultimately matter.
"That’s all very well, having expected goals, but it’s actual goals that count at the end of the day and how many points you get," he continued.
"That’s encouraging from the point of view of looking at the performance level, you hope over a period of time, that will correct itself over a period of time.
"You can keep putting in performance levels, but you cannot continue saying that week after week. You can’t be saying that for the next 10 games because, by then, it might be too late. They’ve really got to start converting those performances into points."
Cutting out errors defensively, which are in contrast to otherwise decent stats, must also be a priority for the Seagulls, Naylor says, as well as striving to score first in more games.
He continued: "They’ve actually got a very good defensive record in terms of limiting teams to chances. But the goal West Brom scored, which was a very routine header from a corner, they’ll be disappointed about that and it left them on the back foot.
"I think because of the type of team Brighton are, the first goal is really important for them in games and we saw that in the three games I’ve referred to.
"Each of those teams are high-quality teams, Liverpool, Spurs and Leeds, and once Brighton were in front, they couldn’t score against them.
"The problem is, particularly against the other strugglers, if they go a goal behind, teams just sit back and say: ‘Come and break us down.’
"They’ve been struggling to find that answer so I think the first goal in games, just because of the type of side Brighton are, is actually more important than it usually is."
While confidence would have been hit by last weekend's reverse at the Hawthorns, Naylor believes a full week of work at the south coast club's training complex will have refocused minds ahead of tackling the Foxes this weekend.
"Certainly, I’m sure, [the mood was low] straight after the West Brom game because it came on the back of the Crystal Palace defeat, which was extraordinary," he said.
"There’s no way they should have lost that game. If you look over those two games and the fact they came away with no points, you really are still scratching your head.
"They will have had a clear week since then. That’s the nature of the Premier League for a club like Brighton. You’ve got to get used to dusting yourselves down and moving on quickly, particularly in this congested season.
"You cannot afford to dwell on disappointments because there are opportunities around the corner."