All the reaction from Brighton’s 4-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa from the Amex Stadium
Well that went better than many expected. The Seagulls thrashed Aston Villa on the opening day of the season despite missing star players Kaoru Mitoma, Carlos Baleba and Yankuba Minteh.
Jan Paul van Hecke was also sold earlier this summer, while Joel Veltman, Adam Webster, Danny Welbeck, James Milner and Solly March all left.
Against Villa, Brighton deployed a midfielder at right back, a centre back at left back, a centre midfielder on the left wing and a left back on the right wing.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler also played without a recognised striker as Georginio played the furthest forward but often dropped deep, leaving the excellent Jack Hinshelwood to run in behind.
Aston Villa were confused
Many Albion fans were confused by the starting XI ahead of kick-off, so little wonder Unai Enmery and his team looked completely baffled in the first 45 minutes.
Brighton will not always have such generous opponents but, unlike Villa, they certainly showed they are fully fit and ready for the 2026-27 campaign.
Hurzeler is now an "experienced" manager. In fact, at the grand old age of 33, he's is the fifth longest serving manager in the Premier League.
This is the start of his third full season in charge and the impressive German now knows the majority of his squad inside and out.
The older players were allowed to move on but the Seagulls still have plenty of players who are approaching their peak years with top flight experience.
Brighton players step up
The likes of Mats Wieffer, Bart Verbruggen, Ferdi Kadioglu, Yasin Ayari, Jack Hinshelwood, Diego Gomez and Georginio all fall into that category and will take on more leadership responsibilities this term.
And if they need a helping hand, the likes of Lewis Dunk, Pascal Gross and Jason Steele are still on hand.
Brighton appear to have a nice balance, especially as the young players Ibrahim Osman, Zadok Yohanna and Charalampos Kostoulas are all pushing and challenging for minutes.
The Uefa Conference League should also provide valuable gametime for the squad, if they advance past Tromso this Thursday night at the Amex Stadium in the second leg of their play-off. The tie is currently poised at 0-0 after last week's first leg in Norway.
Baleba and Minteh to leave
Hurzeler and Brighton do have two more blows to deal with. Minteh looks likely to seal his £70m move to Liverpool this week and Baleba is set to finally get wish and complete his dream move to Manchester United. His fee will also likely be around £70m.
Both are two excellent players and Brighton will miss them but on Sunday’s evidence, perhaps not as much as fans first feared.
Baleba was largely terrible for the majority of last season and Hurzeler’s men coped pretty well without him. The return of the experienced Pascal Gross certainly helped add some consistency to the midfield but so too has the emergence of Yasin Ayari.
The Sweden international has been a major success story under Hurzeler and has his value to Brighton has been far greater than Baleba for a long time now. The versatile Gomez can also play centre midfield if needed and the summer arrival of right back Costinha could finally free up Wieffer for a midfield role that he has long craved.
Wieffer still has so much more to give Brighton and the expected exit of Baleba could create space for him to do so. The emergence of Malick Yalcouye is also worth watching this season.
How to replace Minteh
Brighton could receive around £170m if they sell Baleba and Minteh. The transfer window closes on September 1 and another addition or two could be on the cards.
Against Aston Villa, Maxim De Cuyper - a player who spent most of his career as a left back - played on the right wing. The Belgian forced the first goal with a clever turn and shot and then made it 2-0 when he darted to the box to turn home Georginio’s cross.
The Belgian international has clearly stated his case to start more regularly this season and he’s obviously an option on the left flank as well.
Yohanna is a £21m summer arrival from AIK and the Nigerian teenager can also play on the right flank. He came off the bench against Villa and will be an explosive wild card this season. Look out for wingers Amario Cozier-Duberry and Osman as well. Both featured in Tromso and provide further options as Hurzeler waits for the return of Mitoma, who easing back to fitness after hamstring surgery.
Sussex World verdict
There was talk of Champions League from some fans as they left the Amex Stadium on Sunday... and why the heck not? It’s the start of the season, a time for optimism and your team has just thumped Villa 4-0 in the south coast sunshine. If that is not time to get carried, when is?
But... there is always a but! The Seagulls, if they get past Tromso, will have to juggle the demands of Conference League and the Premier League. That is a tough ask, especially when the season is up and running and teams are at the peak.
Villa are a good team but they simply were not ready for the season. They lost a whole host of players and need a serious rebuild. It was the perfect time for Brighton to catch them, but they way the Seagulls did it was ruthless and impressive.
Champions League? Maybe, maybe not but Brighton look fresh and they have plenty of new talents to keep an eye on this term and worthy of replacing Baleba and Minteh.