da dobrowin： Brighton manager Graham Potter believes that midfielder Yves Bissouma can add more goals to his repertoire going forward at the Amex Stadium.
da pixbet： The 23-year-old hasn’t found the net in his 22 appearances this term and, while Potter praised other aspects of his game, he believes that the Mali international is capable of more in terms of contributing to goals.
As per The Argus, the Seagulls boss said of Bissouma: “It would be nice for him to add a couple of goals to his game. It all depends on the position on the pitch that he plays.
“I think he is developing as a midfield player who can defend as well. He wins a lot of balls and regains possession for us. He has the ability, the quality, to score as well.
“As a team, we need to try and get more goals from other areas of the pitch. It is something that is quite obvious. He has the capability to do that.”
Since coming to Brighton two years ago, Bissouma has made 56 appearances but only found the net once, against Bournemouth in an FA Cup clash in January 2019 (as per TransferMarkt). He has now played one more match for the Seagulls than he did for previous club Lille, for whom he netted four goals.
In defence of the 23-year-old, he plays primarily in central midfield rather than in a more advanced role, where he would naturally have more opportunities to score. However, a match average of just 0.7 shots shows that he rarely even puts himself in positions to threaten opposition goalkeepers, never mind finding the net – centre-back Lewis Dunk has a greater shots-per-game average of 0.9.
It is also worth noting that Bissouma certainly isn’t the only goal-shy presence at the Amex Stadium – Brighton have failed to score in six of their last 10 Premier League games, with only three teams scoring fewer than their 37 goals in the division this term.
Even though Bissouma’s biggest strengths are in breaking up play (his tackling average of 2.3 per game is the highest in Brighton’s squad), his lower goal return with the Seagulls compared to Lille shows that he can offer a greater threat in the final third of the pitch.
Hopefully this is an area that he can address next term in what will be his third season at the Amex, and judging by Brighton’s low goal return overall, Potter will hope that a few of the Malian’s team-mates can also increase their strike rate.
Brighton fans, what have you made of Bissouma’s performances for the club so far? Have your say by commenting below!