Graham Potter is looking to use an unpredictable season to drag his struggling Brighton side out of trouble as he warns his players that ‘you are always 90 minutes from a crisis’
- Brighton are on a five-match winless streak and have only won twice all season
- They occupy 17th place in the league, one point above the relegation zone
- Despite defeat to Chelsea, West Ham have had an impressive start to the season
- Brighton face a battling Arsenal side in a quick turnaround two days later
Graham Potter will use the dramatically changing fortunes of Brighton‘s opponents to remind his players not to take their Premier League futures for granted.
Brighton are hovering above the relegation zone as they face a hugely improved West Ham on Sunday before hosting struggling Arsenal on Tuesday night.
Potter’s men survived the drop in part by claiming eight points from their four matches against the London duo last season, when West Ham were at the wrong end of the table and Arsenal were climbing under Mikel Arteta.
Brighton manager Graham Potter is looking for just his side’s third victory of the season
And the 45-year–old coach claims the congested nature of lockdown football has intensified the pressure, leading to increasingly unexpected results.
‘This current climate exaggerates it. It’s always been there,’ he said. ‘You are always 90 minutes from a crisis.
‘It’s part of the game, part of the noise and challenge of the Premier League. Sometimes you have to prepare to suffer. This league makes you do that.’
Brighton could even climb above Arsenal if results go their way in the next two matches, but Potter refuses to include them in their relegation battle.
‘I would not want to categorise anybody’s position. I think from the start of the season you are fighting to get the points as quickly as you can,’ he added.
Danny Welbeck scored a vital, late equaliser against strugglers Sheffield United last week
‘That is what we are and I can’t comment on anybody else’s team or club. We are trying to fight and get the points.
‘There is a long way of this season to go and whilst the narrative is always extreme and you can understand that our job is to get the points as quickly as possible and wins that you need and that is what we will try to do.’
Potter might know Brighton are good enough to win their festive fixtures, but is experienced enough to know they start from scratch on Sunday.
‘In the Premier League anything is possible and we have to have that belief and go into these matches with optimism,’ he explained.
West Ham have only failed to score in two league games this season under David Moyes
