‘Two teams that want the ball’ – Brighton boss Vidošić looks ahead to Everton clash

Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Dario Vidošić is expecting a competitive game of football when his side face Everton at Broadfield Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Seagulls kick-off a brand new era with Vidošić having been appointed as their new boss over the summer. In total, 12 new signings have been brought in, giving the Brighton & Hove Albion squad a refreshing feel going into the 2024/2025 campaign.

Opponents Everton have also been busy in the transfer market over the summer. Vidošic admits that he is unsure how The Blue Girls will line-up against his Brighton side but he is expecting a really good game of football.

“Looking at them last season, they were interesting with their build-up and they wanted to play football,” Vidošić said when speaking in the pre-match press conference. “When they didn’t have the ball, they were pressing to win it back.

“They played some really nice stuff and they are interesting ideas that Brian [Sørensen] is trying to implement there. I’m sure he’s tweaked that in the off-season.

“We are expecting something, so we will have to be really switched on. They are able to change little things throughout the game as well, so I’m looking forward to that challenge from a coach’s perspective.

“We’ve prepared a little bit to what we believe but you never truly know what’s going to happen because not everyone will reveal everything in pre-season. I think it’ll be two teams that want the ball and when we don’t have it, we will go hunting to go and get it. 

“It’s shaping up to be a really interesting game, I’m sure it’ll be a tussle. We will try to control the game and play it on our terms. We will be as prepared as possible.”

Given the quality group of players at his disposal, Vidošić has a tough job when picking his starting XI this weekend. The Brighton & Hove Albion boss says that a manager never really knows his best XI, it’s all about picking the best team for the day.

He said “I don’t think you ever know what your best XI is. Sometimes, it’s restricted because some have to play certain minutes or have niggles that we have to take care of but you always want to put out the best XI that you feel will be successful. Sometimes, the ones that maybe start on the bench are there for a reason, you see something in the last 20-30 minutes or even the last 10 minutes in games.

“We are very thankful that there’s a lot of quality in the group. It makes my life very difficult to pick 11 players that play but it’s also great that we have hungry girls to come on and make an impact. They’re all working really hard and I’ll try and put out the best team that I think will get a result against Everton.”

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Everton kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.