Worst night ever mare as Bart Verbruggen been suspended from sport for placing a bet against…
Bart Verbruggen said when he was at Anderlecht: “I have one core quality and that is my feet.”
That is just as well for the goalkeeper selected in the summer to suit the style of Brighton & Hove Albion’s head coach Roberto De Zerbi. There are far greater demands placed on Verbruggen and team-mate Jason Steele to play with their feet than any club in the Premier League.
Across the first eight games of the season, when De Zerbi was rotating between Verbruggen and Steele, 96 per cent of Brighton’s goal kicks ended in their own penalty area — the highest percentage of any side. That compared to 36 per cent with then ever-present Ederson for domestic and European champions Manchester City
The average distance the ball travelled for Brighton goal kicks was easily the lowest as well, at 8.1 metres. Manchester United were the next lowest at 19.2 metres. City’s figure of 39.2 metres shows how much longer they go from Ederson to Erling Halaand compared to earlier Pep Guardiola sides.
De Zerbi has called a halt to the rotation pattern between the goalkeepers in the early part of the season. They had played two games each at a time before a change was made, but Steele has been preferred to Verbruggen for five of the last six matches.
De Zerbi says: “There isn’t a clear rule, two games in a row and we have to change. Jason can play five in a row, Bart seven in a row, Jason 10 in a row and two for Bart.
“You have to be honest. Bart can become one of the best keepers in Europe, but Jason knows better our idea of football. The best solution is to give the new players time to understand the style better.”
The main reason for De Zerbi promoting the experienced Steele to first choice in March at the expense of Robert Sanchez was his greater understanding of how he wants his goalkeeper to distribute the ball.
