“Is that it?”
This innocuous question was put to Bob Geldof in July 1985 as he walked away from Wembley Stadium having organised the biggest and best rock concert the world had ever seen.
It was asked by a street cleaner, who wanted to know if he could begin clearing away the debris from that memorable day yet still, the banality of it, after all that went before, tickled Geldof. It was later the title of his autobiography.
A similar query can be levelled at Brighton after they too have rocked the world to its foundations this season, making real headway into becoming part of the elite and doing so by adding another branch to Total Football’s family tree.
Now that the Seagulls have secured a top six spot, and by extension European football, can they build on that and progress even further?
Or was their superb output in 2022/23 the very best they can do, a perfect storm of circumstances and consistent excellence that can only be matched from hereon in, but likely not?
Before we try to determine where the truth lies between these stools it makes sense to revisit Brighton’s astonishing campaign, one that greatly improved on an outstanding model put in place by Graham Potter, that in turn developed from a sensible mandate implemented by Chris Hughton.
Under Roberto De Zerbi, a coach whose reputation has soared this past year, earning praise from high places along the way, Brighton very quickly established a playbook that enthralled neutrals and had the Amex faithful barely believing their good fortune.
Doubling down on playing out from the back, so much of Brighton’s possession football is executed in their defensive third, designed with an in-built risk so as to lure in the opposition.
Once the press is by-passed, the ball typically reaches Moises Caicedo and then the South Coast side are off, attacking at pace, an exhilarating joyride featuring ballers such as Mitoma, March and Mac Allister, who have all been exceptional throughout.
Without the ball, opposition players are boxed in. Brighton do not hunt in packs, they hunt using symmetry, ensuring passing lanes are blocked and affording little margin for error. When the ball is recovered it’s rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.
It’s a front-foot, stylish and energetic ethos that has resulted in Brighton taking on more shots in 2022/23 than any other team across Europe’s top five leagues, while their innovative approach has routinely left superior foes befuddled.
In the last calendar year, the Seagulls have played Liverpool off the park, Manchester United off the park, and Chelsea off the park, an immensely satisfying outcome given where Potter defected to.
They have twice matched Manchester City in every department.
Moreover, it is a style of play that has elicited brilliant performances from their personnel. Kaoru Mitoma, a winger in the old-fashioned sense, has been a joy to watch. Mac Allister – a World Cup winner mid-season - has been a joy to watch.
Brighton have been a joy to watch and subsequently, have become the second favourite team for many.
For so long a staple of the Premier League relegation betting, the Seagulls flew higher and higher, ultimately posting their best ever league finish.
Mention of those high-achieving individuals however brings us to the club’s peerless recruitment strategy, which then leads us to the first of three potential problems that may come to slow Brighton’s rise.
For a club of their standing to regularly source superb talent comes at a price, that being the inevitable losing of them to bigger fish once their talent reveals itself and we are once again set to see that happen this summer.
Alexis Mac Allister is by all accounts poised to join Liverpool. At some later juncture in the window, Caicedo is leaving too, with Chelsea and Arsenal fighting for his signature.
Granted, Brighton have dealt with this before, and dealt with it well, one example being the sale of Marc Cucurella for big money before bringing in a much cheaper, much more impactful replacement in Pervis Estupinan.
But as we’ve witnessed previously with Southampton, who worked off a similar model, eventually the tap runs dry and it only takes one or two poor signings for the system to break down.
Additionally, there is the very real risk of teams finding Brighton out, uncovering solutions to their intricate puzzles. We may well see that come into effect at some point next term.
And lastly, if losing Mac Allister and Caicedo will be seismic, losing De Zerbi would be utterly disastrous, a game-changer and then some.
Presently, there is little-to-no chance that the Italian has any intention of leaving his South Coast project incomplete, but as we saw last September with Potter, should Brighton get off to a cracking start and a top six side doesn’t, football’s cruel laws of physics can kick in.
Of course, such scenarios are only hypothetical, and perhaps are overly pessimistic too.
Because right now, there is an awful lot to be excited about down at Brighton and nobody is suggesting they will be featuring in the Championship betting anytime soon.
A continuation of this season will see them fly high again while the future looks bright indeed with a clutch of teenagers coming to the fore and learning under De Zerbi.
All of which leaves us with only one question, a query that cannot faithfully be answered until Christmas at the earliest. Is that it for brilliant Brighton?
Let’s hope not. Let’s hope there is much more to come.
