Why do Brighton players stand still with their studs on the ball? | OneFootball

Why do Brighton defenders stand with their studs on the ball when starting attacks?

It’s a question you almost definitely haven’t asked yourselves since Roberto De Zerbi took over on the south coast.

Since the Italian took over, Brighton have had some pretty impressive results.

If you thought they would drop like a stone after Graham Potter’s departure to Chelsea, you’ve been very much mistaken.

If anything, they’re now playing even better football and have risen to seventh in the Premier League table.

Under De Zerbi, they’ve drawn 3-3 at Anfield, beaten Chelsea 4-1, defeated Arsenal 3-1 in the League Cup, overcame Everton 4-1, thrashed Middlesborough 5-1 and humiliated Liverpool 3-0.

Previously, under Potter, they beat Manchester United 2-1 at Old Trafford.

This isn’t a team of superstars – although they do have a number of very, very good players – this is a team that is incredibly well-drilled and knows exactly what they’re doing. And that’s playing incredibly exciting football.

Why do Brighton defenders put their studs on the ball?

So, back to the original question… Why do Brighton defenders put their studs on the ball?

Well, it’s a question that has been answered by @Jon_Mackenzie at Tifo Football in a fascinating ten-minute video.

First, Jon looks at a number of incidents when Brighton defenders have their foot on the ball during the build-up.

He explains how opponents can often sit back in a low block when facing Brighton, defending deep to prevent Brighton from creating opportunities in spaces between the lines.

So what Brighton need to do is ‘bait’ the opponents to press them. They will create space for Brighton to build attacks.

Therefore, by putting their studs on the ball, the Brighton defenders are almost saying ‘come and tackle me’ to the opposition attackers. When they do, the ball-playing defenders can then pass the ball around the press and exploit the space that has been created.

They can then find Pascal Gross or the brilliant Moises Caicedo, who in turn, have the potential to start attacks with the exciting Kaoru Mitoma and Alexis Mac Allister ahead of them.

@Jon_Mackenzie can explain it far better than we can so take a look at a brilliant analysis video of Brighton’s tactics on the ball under De Zerbia.

Really interesting stuff.

Following Brighton’s latest victory over Liverpool, De Zerbi insisted that it’s up to his players to think for themselves while on the pitch.

“I don’t move my players with a joystick,” De Zerbi said.

“I want to give them the solution in the week, in the training session. But in the game, during the game, they have to decide the solution.

“After then, the first day of the next week, we will see the game on video and we can find the better solution. But the decisions are only by them.

“If I want more responsibility, more personality, I have to give them the possibility to make mistakes. If I want to decide everything, I remove from them the personality.”