As Liverpool prepare to host Brighton, we’ve got the view from the Seagulls, including their view on the Mohamed Salah situation.
The Reds host Fabian Hurzeler’s side on Saturday afternoon, which could even be Salah’s final game for the club if his words are anything to go by.
This is another huge game for Arne Slot, who continues to battle to save his job, and three points would be a big step in the right direction.
Brighton fan and football finance expert Kieran Maguire (@KieranMaguire) is a regular This Is Anfield contributor, and he and Henry Jackson have previewed Saturday’s game.
How happy are you with Brighton’s season heading towards Christmas?
It’s a weird season. The Premier League table is very bunched up, so Brighton are one win from fourth and one defeat from 13th.
I have not seen any standout teams this season, and with the exception of Leeds, who didn’t turn up at the Amex, I have not seen any very poor teams either.
Some results have been exceptional, such as beating Man City and Chelsea, but others have been a bit beige.
The vast majority of matches have been won or lost by a one-goal margin, which further indicates a very tight division.
I think anyone who has a good or bad Christmas and New Year period could surge up or down the table.
Which three players have stood out most? Anyone struggled?
Goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen has been exceptional. He has ironed out the glitches in terms of distribution with his feet, and has made some spectacular saves. He seems more confident on crosses, too.
I suspect a good World Cup next summer as the Netherlands’ No. 1 will see him depart, as there are relatively few exceptional goalkeepers in the Premier League and Europe at present.
Yankubah Minteh has been the best outfield player, although a bit quiet in the last couple of games.
He’s very much an old-school winger – very fast, but needs a bit of composure in the opposition box, where he tends not to always make the right decisions.
Danny Welbeck is the leading scorer, despite Brighton spending £50 million on two teenage Greek strikers in the summer.
He is universally popular both with teammates, fans and former clubs.
Carlos Baleba had an incredible 2024/25, then came the rumours of another club that plays in red in the North West being interested in signing him for a bargain fee.
Brighton said they weren’t interested as it was an insulting offer.
Since then, whilst regularly starting matches, Baleba has been a shadow of last season’s player, not lasting 90 minutes in a single match and has been hooked at half-time occasionally.
There are flashes of his speed, strength and all-round ability, but too few and far between.
Is Hurzeler still the right man for the job?
Yes, although a sizeable portion of the Brighton fanbase would be happy to see Hurzeler leave.
The style of play is reasonable without being spectacular.
Last season’s eighth-place finish was the second-highest in the history of the club, despite losing Pascal Gross, Billy Gilmour and having more days lost to injury than any club in the Premier League.
Brighton now have about the 14th-biggest budget in the Premier League, but one season in Europe has resulted in this being seen as the norm for some fans, and anything less is deemed failure.
Who they expect to get a top-six position under such circumstances is not mentioned, but we live in a world in which change is seen as being more important than improvement.
Feelings count more than facts, and the evidence suggests that is not the case.
How do you see the season panning out now?
It’s still very open, Arsenal deserved favourites but not head and shoulders above the rest.
A good run put together could result in any one of three or four clubs having a decent shout for the title, and I include Liverpool in that mix.
At the bottom, Wolves look beyond hope, but there will be a bun fight for the remaining two places.
It could easily go to the wire at both ends of the table or be sorted out by mid-April – it’s that unpredictable.
What do you make of Liverpool’s collapse? Would you stick with Arne Slot?
Liverpool have only won the Premier League title with two managers, and Arne Slot is one of them.
Last season, you were worthy winners, but this time around, you have lost the swagger and confidence of last season that when they went behind you were still favourites to win.
The defence, in particular, looks shaky, and signings have not delivered in terms of the sums spent on them.
FSG are not noted for making knee-jerk decisions, so I expect Slot to be around for a while, unless the losing streak continues into the New Year.
What’s your take on the Salah and Slot situation?
I’m with the club on this.
If you have a work grievance, sort it out at work. No need to create a drama as is the case with Mohamed Salah‘s behaviour.
He could have had a quiet word, say to the manager/club that at this stage of his career, being a bench player is not what he wants, and engineer an exit at full market value in January.
In doing so, he would retain legend status, and club and fans would benefit too.
Where do you think the Reds will finish, as things stand?
At present, I think they have a decent chance of finishing third.
Arsenal and Man City look like the top two – Chelsea are very inconsistent for a club that has a squad costing over £1.5 billion.
Aston Villa and Crystal Palace deserve plaudits for competing in both Europe and domestically, but constant midweek football takes its toll eventually.
Where will the key battles take place in Liverpool vs. Brighton?
Out wide, Brighton have a central midfield player in Mats Wieffer, who was excellent under Slot, converted into an uncomfortable-looking right-back, and does not have lightning pace.
On the other side, two relatively new left-backs who both prefer to play as wingers, leaving Brighton vulnerable on the counter-attack.
Exploit that, and it could be a relaxing afternoon for the Reds.
Finally, what’s your prediction?
I think it will be back to business for Liverpool, so 3-0 to the Reds.