Brighton & Hove Albion midfielder Dale Stephens feels the side can take plenty of positives from their last two performances, heading into next Saturday’s game against Fulham at the Amex.
Albion put in a couple of impressive displays against both Manchester United and Liverpool, and Stephens feels the side is heading in the right direction ahead of next weekend’s match against the west Londoners.
He said, “We were disappointed with the manner in which we conceded the goal, but we reacted well to it and played quite well.
“We almost had a perfect plan, and the last two performances have been good. We were disappointed with the opening game of the season, but we’ll look forward to Fulham now full of confidence.
“We want to improve and get better as a team, both individually and collectively. We knew it was going to be tough playing against a side with the quality of Liverpool, but these are the games we want to play in.”
The midfielder explained how a week’s hard graft on the training pitch nearly paid off, as the side put in a defensively disciplined display, and felt they weren’t far away from getting a result.
“We’d been working on it all week. We knew we’d have to surrender a bit of possession due to the threat that they had up top, so we came here with a gameplan and it’s just that final little bit we need to execute.
“We knew if we stayed in the game long enough that we’d get a chance, but we ended up getting two.
“Anthony’s [Knockaert] was a bit more difficult, but Pascal’s [Gross] chance was one that we worked so hard for, in terms of keeping the game at 1-0 for so long. Unfortunately, we couldn’t take them.”
Stephens also praised the overall strength of the squad and stressed how the players selected to feature in Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie will do everything possible to retain their places.
“We’ve made some good signings and feel we’ve got a stronger squad than last season. We’re looking to improve on what we did last year. Coming to Anfield and being disappointed we’ve lost shows how far we’ve come.
“Everyone wants to play and Tuesday is another good game for us. They come quick and fast and whoever plays will be fighting to stay in this team come Saturday.”
Tickets are on general sale for Tuesday’s Carabao Cup tie against Southampton at the Amex, with prices starting at just £12 for adults and £6 for under-18s if booked in advance. Visit BrightonAndHoveAlbion.com/tickets for more information and to secure your seats!