Brighton & Hove Albion

Former defender Guy Butters believes that "there will be goals" when Brighton host Tottenham on Sunday.

Butters, who played for both the Seagulls and Spurs in his career, told BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast that he expects an exciting game at the Amex.

"It will be two teams that want to play football the right way, get the ball on the floor, pass it around really quickly and hit each other on the break," he said.

"Whether Tottenham will come and sit back and look to do that, I don't know, but I'm pretty sure that if we do get an early goal it will be an interesting game because Tottenham have got to come at us and I think that will open them up as well.

"I was going to hedge my bets and go for a safe draw but I'd probably say 2-2 or 2-1 either way, I certainly think there will be goals."

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There has been so much chat this week about Brighton's high line and how it came unstuck at Chelsea last Saturday.

Before that, discussions were around the unbeaten start for Fabian Hurzeler mixed in with niggles about failing to beat Nottingham Forest or Ipswich Town at Amex Stadium.

But, you know your club best. What's everyone missing? What is the one thing nobody is talking about - good or bad - but really should be?

Tell us here, external - and come back later on Friday to find some of your suggestions

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Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler has taken full responsibility for last weekend's 4-2 loss to Chelsea, saying his gameplan "wasn't good enough".

The Seagulls were beaten for the first time this season and Hurzeler now wants to see a reaction from his side when they host Tottenham on Sunday.

"It's very important after defeat that you are honest to yourself and that you reflect on what was good and what was not good," he said.

"If you lose, of course there are more negative points. We analyse these negative points and discuss them with the team. We try to find solutions and try to show a reaction as a team on Sunday.

"There were positive things, especially in possession. Chelsea scored four goals but we also had the chances to score four goals.

"In the end we have to learn from it, I have to learn from it because I was the one responsible for the match plan and the match plan wasn't good enough."

Ben Ramsdale
BBC Sport journalist

Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Hurzeler confirmed that Brajan Gruda and Solly March "trained really good" this week and will be available for selection, as will James Milner and Joel Veltman. However, Matt O'Reilly, Joao Pedro and Jan Paul van Hecke remain out through injury.

• He said he takes full responsibility for the defeat at Chelsea, adding he needs to "learn from it and show a reaction".

• On Georginio Rutter, who opened his account for the club: "I think he also showed before his goal his good performances. He doesn't need goals to believe in himself. He's had a great impact and a great start at his new club. He's a very humble person and tries to work hard. His shape when he arrived wasn't the best but now through training sessions he is getting fitter and fitter and we are very happy to have him."

• When asked how O'Reilly's recovery is going: "He's very positive and is making small steps forward, I think that's very important when you've had a bad injury. He's sticking to the plan after surgery and we are looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch."

• On Pascal Gross returning for his send-off on Sunday: "I would enjoy seeing him more if he was in the Seagulls colours. He's a great character and a great player. You can already see his impact at Borussia Dortmund and I'm very happy to welcome him back to his old home. All the players are looking forward to seeing him."

• Hurzeler said he's a coach that likes his teams to be "dominant" with possession and the current statistics show that they are able to "compete with every team" in the Premier League. He did say though it is important that his team finds a "balance" in some games.

Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Listen to full commentary of Brighton v Tottenham from 16:30 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

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The Premier League Key Match Incidents panel was split on the decision to award Chelsea a penalty for a foul by Brighton midfielder Carlos Baleba on Jadon Sancho.

Baleba was deemed to have fouled Jadon Sancho by referee Peter Bankes.

A 3-2 majority on the panel sided with the on-field decision to award the penalty.

The two panel members that voted against the decision felt that Baleba was "entitled to run that line" and stated it "looks worse due to the closing gap".

The KMI panel, made up of five members, includes three ex-players and managers.

Image source, Getty Images

The way Fabian Hurzeler wants to play at Brighton is with a high press. For that reason, they have a high defensive line because their first form of defence is attack.

If you play with that high line then you have to read what is in front of you. Chelsea’s Cole Palmer was successfully getting the ball over the top early on in the game and as a defender you should be reading those situations.

There are pros and cons to playing against a high line. If you are clever, then you can certainly exploit it as it leaves lots of space behind. I used to enjoy it and be that player who played as a number 10 to make deeper runs.

It can also be difficult to play against when you have players that do not time their runs or you have centre-forwards and wide players that do not sit on the line. Quite often, players make their runs too early then and are offside.

But Palmer was able to identify Brighton's weakness and he was was able to exploit it so often.

You would have thought the manager or defenders themselves would have changed it so they dropped in earlier to deny those spaces.

I would have expected that as part of the in-game management.

Fara Williams was speaking to BBC Sport's Katie Stafford

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Former striker and co-host of BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast Warren Aspinall believes "something has to be done" about the high line that Brighton are deploying this season.

The Seagulls were left exposed on Saturday as Chelsea's Cole Palmer helped himself to four goals in a 4-2 defeat at Stamford Bridge.

While the frailties may have been highlighted more so in this fixture, Aspinall believes it has been a common theme this season.

"It's not just about the Chelsea game I don't think, I think it is previous games also," he said.

"If we start with Arsenal, we played the high line there and I remember Havertz getting in one against one and it was a great save from Verbruggen to keep the game at 1-1.

"Then we had the game at Ipswich, they got in over the top and hit the post. Nottingham Forest got in over the top and scored and then every time Chelsea went forward on Saturday, they got in and could have scored more than four.

"OK, it has been highlighted for the Chelsea game but it has happened in the previous three games.

"It is a worry and something has to be done about it."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Former Brighton & Hove Albion manager Barry Lloyd died at the age of 75 last week.

Lloyd, who managed the Seagulls between 1987-1993, would later return to the club as Chief Scout in 2007, a position he went on to hold for nearly 15 years.

Speaking on BBC Radio Sussex's Albion Unlimited podcast, former Brighton defender Guy Butters paid tribute to Lloyd.

"He was there for years, he was a great servant to the club and it's very sad news," he said.

"He was born in Hillingdon, as was I, and my dad played cricket with and against him when they were younger. Football was always his favourite sport and he excelled at that and he played for some great clubs.

"I always remember seeing clips of him against West Ham United when he was playing for Fulham in a cup final.

"I managed to work for the club in a little stage of my career and came across Barry when I was there. He was always approachable, always talkative and he will be a sad loss.

"I've spoken about him before with ex-players and everyone has really kind words to say about him, he gave a lot of them their chances when they were younger. It was at a time when they were really battling to stay in the Football League at one stage and he came in and stamped his name all over the football club."

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Pat Nevin
Former footballer and presenter

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Sometimes you just have to scream that the Emperor’s new clothes are indeed just nakedness, or in this case brazen stupidity.

‌The goalkeeping and defensive blunder count at Stamford Bridge on Saturday was incredible. There was a point when Chelsea keeper Robert Sanchez was in line for the man-of-the-match award…for Brighton! He certainly provided an unmissable assist for Carlos Baleba’s goal that made it 3-2, as well as being at fault for their first.

‌He was not the only one defending terribly. The ultra-high defensive line by Brighton, away from home against lightning-quick attackers and clever players not being closed down in midfield, looked frankly embarrassing.

‌In times gone by, this would have been decried as monumental naivety, but the current Premier League groupthink has certain immutable tenets. One is that playing out from the keeper must be done even when he demonstrably cannot actually play outfield football at that level.

‌In my career - and that was not yesterday – as a midfield creative, I dreamed of playing against such a predictable and frankly quite sluggish high defensive line. It is incredibly easy to beat their offside trap with an average run from deep and a relatively simple well-timed pass or indeed just an unfocused hook over the top.

‌Forget the Emperor’s new clothes, Brighton were caught with their pants down time and again and they never thought to pull them back up again. Weird.

‌The Premier League can be great, but it can also be technically a bit rubbish sometimes too. Are you allowed to say that?

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The latest episode of the Albion Unlimited podcast has landed.

Former Brighton defender Guy Butters joins the BBC Radio Sussex podcast to discuss the Seagulls' defensive strategy and pay tribute to Barry Lloyd.

The Sun journalist Tom Barclay also checks in to help preview Tottenham's trip to Amex Stadium on Sunday.

Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds

Scott McCarthy
Fan writer

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Tin hat on... I like Adam Webster. An opinion which very much goes against the grain of most Brighton supporters after he was culpable for gifting Chelsea the first of their four goals at Stamford Bridge.

Since signing for the Albion in 2019, Webster has played a big part in helping establish the club in the Premier League. During the 2021-22 season, when Brighton finished top 10 for the first time in their history, his form was good enough to be in the conversation for an England call up. Unfortunately, injury ruined that.

However, time waits for no one.

Two-and-a-half years later and Brighton have moved on. Tony Bloom wants the Seagulls to become regular challengers for Europe - and it is fair to say Webster is no longer good enough to be playing for a club desiring a top-eight finish.

This is not his fault, which is the point a lot of his critics in the wake of what happened at Chelsea appear to be missing. After all, Brighton signed nearly £200m worth of new players in the summer.

It seems mad a club can be the biggest net spenders in world football, and yet not sign a new centre-back to leave themselves in a position where one injury or suspension means throwing Webster into the starting XI.

Making the situation stranger is that Brighton knew in the summer they were appointing a head coach who deploys a high line. They also knew their defensive options are somewhat lacking in pace. They needed a different profile of centre-back to suit the tactics of Fabian Hurzeler.

Webster has become the fall guy when he should never have been put in the position of playing against Chelsea in a system unsuited to him.

It all means defensive reinforcements must be a priority for Brighton over the next couple of transfer windows.

Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton, external