Brighton and Hove Albion would be safe if the Premier League season did not resume following its long coronavirus pandemic suspension.
If we have twice as long to understand the Seagulls season, it would be still prove a tricky one to grade.
Graham Potter’s men held the ball 54 percent of the time but were still in a relegation fight. They sit in the top half in terms of goals conceded, but just two points clear of the drop zone.
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Below we give each Brighton player a grade, ranking and group them together based on their season(s) so far.
If a Brighton player is listed in this ranking it is because they’ve played in more than five games in all competitions.
A-GRADE
Lewis Dunk, Adam Webster, and Dan Burn: It takes a lot to keep Shane Duffy out of a starring role in a corps of defenders, and these three have been very good in front of Mathew Ryan.
Pascal Gross: Leads Brighton in assists and it should be even more; Gross has 2.3 key passes per game, a figure bested by only five other PL players.
B-GRADE
Davy Propper: A complete midfielder, the Dutchman is averaging 2.2 tackles per game and 1.2 interceptions.
Mat Ryan: He’s bailed out the Seagulls quite a bit with 71 saves inside the box. Only Martin Dubravka of Newcastle has more. Plus his head’s in the right space.
Shane Duffy: Possibly should be in the A category, but has managed just over 1000 minutes this season.
EDIT: Steven Alzate -- Be willing to be wrong, and to be convinced. Inspired by Brighton supporter outcry, a deeper dive into Alzate’s stats show a player a bit isolated but very promising at a tender age. Sometimes we’re wrong, and he’s certainly higher than a D. The goals and assists will have to come, but bump him up.
WATFORD, ENGLAND - AUGUST 10: Davy Propper of Brighton is tackled by Troy Deeney of Watford during the Premier League match between Watford FC and Brighton & Hove Albion at Vicarage Road on August 10, 2019 in Watford, United Kingdom. (Photo by Matthew Impey/Offside/Offside via Getty Images)
Offside via Getty Images
C-GRADE
Neal Maupay: Struck seven times in 17 games before cooling off. Still 23 years old and in his first PL voyage.
Alireza Jahanbakhsh: His pair of festive season goals made for a feel-good story, but the Iranian is otherwise yet to live up to his price tag.
Aaron Connolly: Caught everyone’s attention during a brilliant October, but the youngster has to find more consistency.
Bernardo: Uneven in a bounceback from in-season knee surgery.
Leandro Trossard: The Seagulls are unbeaten when he’s scored or assisted (1W-5D), but it feels like fits and starts more than anything for a player with high expectations.
Glenn Murray
Solly March
Dale Stephens
D-GRADE
Martin Montoya
Yves Bissouma
Ezequiel Schelotto