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It has been a crazy couple of weeks for FA Cup finalists Brighton & Hove Albion. First of all, they lost their head coach, Dario Vidosic, who has been heavily linked with the Angel City head coach role in the NWSL. However, Brighton have moved quickly to bring in Arturo Ruiz, who did an incredible job taking Real Sociedad into the Champions League qualifying rounds and securing a third-place finish in Liga F. For our opposition view ahead of Sunday’s game against Brighton, I spoke to Duncan Price from the She Gulls Podcast. We discussed Dario’s departure, the appointment of Arturo Ruiz, Brighton’s transfer window and, of course, looked ahead to Sunday’s game. DUNCAN ON DARIO VIDOSIC LEAVING I think all Albion fans were shocked and saddened to hear that we were losing Dario, particularly this close to the start of the season. There’s no doubt that it will disrupt the team’s preparation, but everything happens for a reason, and we certainly still respect and appreciate his contributions to the club. Whilst it came as a surprise, the club doubtless knew some time in advance, which meant they could move quickly for his successor. DUNCAN ON THE APPOINTMENT OF ARTURO RUIZ We weren’t particularly familiar with Arturo before his arrival, but after doing some research and hearing from him for the first time, he seems an excellent appointment. Philosophically, he holds many of the beliefs the club and Dario upheld, such as attacking football, a high press and proactive possession. Whilst the fans have yet to see his impact on and off the field, and this may take some time, the general consensus is that he is a quality replacement for Dario, and he could even improve us in the long run. DUNCAN’S EXPECTATIONS FOR THE SEASON I would class my expectations for the season as cautiously optimistic. I think we may find it tough to compete with the top four, whoever that may end up being, and being the best of the rest in fifth would still be a great achievement. If I had to be a little more honest, though, I would suggest another cup run and a sixth or seventh-place finish, with a new highest league points tally, would be a more achievable goal. DUNCAN ON BRIGHTON’S TRANSFER BUSINESS Ooh, good one! In some senses, fantastic. I think the addition of more WSL experience in Wälti and George was needed and gratefully received. I also think one or two of the youngsters will make an impact this year. However, for me personally, I don’t think we’re prolific enough in front of goal. If we can rectify that before the window ends, I’ll give it a 9/10. If we don’t, 7/10. DUNCAN ON BRIGHTON’S STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES I’ve probably covered our main weakness already, but broadening it out slightly, we don’t kill teams off well enough. When we need a second goal, we often concede an equaliser instead, and that can be very frustrating. In terms of strengths, I think we are a team who like to play through the phases and utilise our passing game to open up space. Our defence is probably amongst the best in the league, which is a far cry from a few seasons ago, I can tell you! DUNCAN’S PLAYERS TO LOOK OUT FOR I think Kiko Seike is always liable to be a handful, and if she doesn’t score, she could still lay on an opportunity or several for someone else. Also, our captain, Maisie Symonds, who in theory should be able to play a more attacking role than she did last season with the additions of Wälti and Joramo. In defence, you can’t look past Caitlin Hayes. A good old-fashioned centre-back, great in the air, physical, drives the team forward – just an all-round presence on the field. WHAT FORMATION DO BRIGHTON PLAY? Now, this is a good question because we don’t really know yet, and even when we suspect, it can still be pretty fluid. My guess is a variation of three centre-backs, two wing-backs/wide midfielders, two central midfielders and three players leading the forward line – so either a 3-4-3 or a 5-2-3 – but again, I could be completely wrong! We’ll all be excited to find out on the day! DUNCAN’S SCORE PREDICTION I’m going to say a 2-1 Brighton away win in a closely contested game, but it wouldn’t shock me if Birmingham took at least a point.