Brighton & Hove Albion have constantly coped with out their most influential gamers when they’re bought, off form or injured, however the absence of Kaoru Mitoma is starting to chunk.
The Japan left-winger was lacking for the ninth league match in a row in Sunday’s 1-1 house draw in opposition to West Ham United, which was rescued by Georginio Rutter’s 91st-minute equaliser.
Head coach Fabian Hurzeler has discovered alternative ways to manage with out Mitoma, who’s recovering from an ankle situation. Outcomes have been first rate with out him — 4 wins, three attracts, two defeats, with 16 targets scored — however West Ham have been the kind of stubborn opponents crying out for Mitoma’s elusive dribbling potential to open them up with a sprinkling of stardust.
Mitoma has supplied 21 targets and 18 assists in 94 league appearances since signing for £3million ($4m) from Kawasaki Frontale in his homeland in 2021 — and people statistics solely inform a part of his significance. In January, Brighton rejected a £61m bid from Saudi Professional League membership Al Nassr for the 28-year-old, who has been capped 29 instances by Japan.
Hurzeler’s staff are faring fairly properly this season in seventh place when you think about that most important goalscorer Joao Pedro was bought to Chelsea in the summertime, key midfielder Carlos Baleba has been beneath par and No 10 Rutter has been struggling to scale the identical heights he reached in 2024-25 till an ankle damage dominated him out from March for the remainder of the marketing campaign.
Kaoru Mitoma has an ankle damage (Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Photographs)
Mitoma has not featured since he was substituted through the second half of the 3-1 win at Chelsea in September. Hurzeler instructed reporters earlier than Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat in opposition to Aston Villa on the Amex Stadium that he’s again in coaching and “actually shut” to returning to motion. The bulletin on Mitoma’s progress again to full health shifted earlier than West Ham’s go to. Hurzeler stated throughout his press convention on Friday that he “had a small setback”.
Hurzeler has been creative with options to Mitoma’s spell on the sidelines. Yankuba Minteh was switched from the correct flank to the left for the 1-1 draw at Wolverhampton Wanderers in October. Versatile Paraguayan midfielder Diego Gomez has began on the left wing 4 instances, together with house wins in opposition to Newcastle United (2-1), Leeds United (3-0) and Brentford (2-1), in addition to a 0-0 draw at rivals Crystal Palace.
Within the final three matches, Hurzeler has devised one other technique to compensate. Summer season signing Maxim De Cuyper, primarily referred to as a left-back, has been deployed forward of Kadioglu, with the pair frequently rotating roles through the sport. It labored properly when De Cuyper opened the scoring within the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest in late November, however not as properly within the eventful defeat by Villa.
De Cuyper’s place increased up the pitch had been alien to the previous Membership Brugge defender since his youth, however he has tailored to the duty of camouflaging the lack of Mitoma’s output. Within the first half in opposition to West Ham, two crosses from De Cuyper virtually yielded a breakthrough. Mats Wieffer in some way didn’t get a decisive contact to the primary from contained in the six-yard field, whereas an acrobatic volley from Rutter was blocked by El Hadji Malick Diouf shortly earlier than half-time. The best way that Diouf punched the air in celebration was indicative of a goal-saving intervention.
Rutter’s leveller in stoppage time from shut vary, after Alphonse Areola had repelled his preliminary effort, shall be a reduction for the 23-year-old Frenchman, ending a drought stretching again to February. It was Rutter’s nineteenth shot try of the marketing campaign. On the time of scoring, solely Bournemouth’s David Brooks (20) had tried extra pictures with out scoring within the Premier League this time period. Chatting with The Athletic in November, Rutter admitted: “Since (Joao Pedro) left, I’ve had the strain to attain he had, but it surely’s soccer, so I’ve to take it.”
Carlos Baleba’s performances have dipped this season (Kevin Hodgson/MI Information/NurPhoto by way of Getty Photographs)
Baleba, then again, continues to endure after head-turning curiosity from Manchester United through the summer season switch window. On Sunday, Hurzeler changed Baleba with Jack Hinshelwood after an hour, simply earlier than Jarrod Bowen fired West Ham into the lead.
“The rationale was to carry on a extra artistic participant in that place with Jack, to regulate the sport extra, discover extra options to change play,” Hurzeler stated after hooking Baleba earlier than the 61st minute for the seventh time in 13 league begins this season. “Sadly, after we conceded the aim, the plan was over inside (minutes).
“We noticed a greater Carlos in opposition to Villa concerning his physicality. In the present day, he appeared to not be on his highest degree, so it’s an ongoing factor for him this season. It’s all of our accountability, from the participant, from us, to present him the correct options, the assistance that he comes again to power.”
Baleba heads off to the Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with Cameroon after Saturday’s sport away to Liverpool. It’s unclear whether or not Hurzeler can have Mitoma again for the journey to Anfield or additional challenges in December and early January, together with the return fixture in opposition to West Ham, plus visits to Arsenal and Manchester Metropolis.
Tommy Watson, signed in the summertime from Sunderland, is but to begin a league sport. The 19-year-old is earmarked as a long-term alternative for Mitoma however accidents have disrupted his adaptation course of. For the extra instant well-being of Hurzeler’s aspect, the earlier that Mitoma is again inflicting complications to opponents, the higher.
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