Brighton (Anfield) – Match Preview and Discussion Thread (Matchweek 9)

Discuss the Reds' game, and also the rest of the Premier League action

Welcome to the new-style match threads, which Gary has created based around a format I devised for the move to Substack. I still want to add a few further things, but simply moving to a whole new website has been a huge logistical challenge, and there’s still a lot more to sort out.

Note: any legacy subscribers (from www.tomkinstimes.com) who still can't access the paywall and comments on here, let us know.

Match Preview and Metrics

Liverpool’s first of nine matches scheduled for October is the visit of Brighton & Hove Albion to Anfield on Saturday; 3pm kick-off UK time.

The Seagulls have a new man in the dugout with Italian Roberto De Zerbi replacing the much loved Graham Potter, who made the surprising switch to Chelsea after three successful years as Brighton’s head coach.

De Zerbi previously coached Darfo Boario (sounds more like an alien planet than a football club…), Foggia, Benevento, Sassuolo and Shakhtar Donetsk. He won the Ukrainian Super Cup with Shakhtar in September 2021 and left the club a few months after Russia invaded the Ukraine, with Shakhtar top of the league with 47 points from 18 games played - two points ahead of Dynamo Kiev - when it was terminated on April 26 2022.

Brighton have described De Zerbi as bringing a track record of “aesthetic, possession football with youth development” and believe his footballing philosophy isn’t too different from Potter’s, meaning evolution is on the cards rather than revolution.