Pascal Groẞ has been central to Brighton’s impressive start to the season with the veteran more influential than ever before.
There are some familiar names at the top of the list of the players who have contributed the most goals and assists in the Premier League this season. Erling Haaland, Bruno Fernandes, Morgan Rogers and João Pedro are all in the mix, as one would expect them to be. Pascal Groẞ’ name, however, stands out as an exception.
Groẞ has registered two goals and two assists in four league appearances for Brighton this term. One goal and two assists of that tally came in the 5-0 thumping of Coventry City on Sunday, but the German’s influence has been strong in almost every match he has played. Groẞ is the driving force pushing Brighton up the table.
This time last year, Groẞ was embarking on a new challenge at Borussia Dortmund. The attacking midfielder joined the Bundesliga club after a seven-year stint with Brighton who said an emotional farewell to one of their best players of the modern era. It was expected that Groẞ would remain in his homeland until the end of his career.
Instead, Groẞ returned to the English south coast in the January transfer window, immediately picking up where he left off for the Seagulls. The 35-year-old has started the majority of Brighton’s league matches since the start of the year with Groẞ adapting his game to be even more impactful.
Brighton manager Fabian Hürzeler has openly spoken about his desire for Groẞ to make more forward runs into the opposition box. Groẞ has played all over the pitch for Brighton over the course of his career at the club, even operating at left back on occasion, but his current purpose is as a box-crashing creator in the final third.
Nobody has created more chances for Brighton in the Premier League this season than Groẞ who is also the Seagulls’ most prolific midfield passer, averaging 64.8 accurate passes per 90 minutes. It’s rare that someone so involved in the game also takes so many risks with their passing in the final third.
On top of this, Groẞ’ physical data is just as impressive as his technical numbers. Indeed, the German has covered more distance than any other Brighton player this season. The Seagulls might play with youthful exuberance, but it’s their 35-year-old midfielder who is setting the standard with his work rate.
“He’s a great connector. He’s a great person,” said Hürzeler when asked about Groẞ and his importance to Brighton. “We spend an amount of time together and you can build these kinds of connections and relationships by really getting to know each other, by building a trustful relationship. And when you have a trustful relationship, you can speak and share things quite openly and that helps also on the pitch.”
Not many knew what to expect from Brighton this season. An eighth-place finish in back-to-back seasons suggested that while Hürzeler had established a platform in the Premier League table, he lacked the ideas to push the Seagulls into the continental qualification places. His position was questioned at times.
So far this season, though, Brighton have been among the Premier League’s most potent attacking forces. No team has found the back of the net more times than the Seagulls who are also averaging the highest possession share per match. Hürzeler’s side appear to have taken a step forward over the summer.
Wednesday’s EFL Cup clash with Manchester United is also an opportunity to make a run in a cup competition. While Brighton have certainly made their mark on the Premier League since winning promotion in 2017, they have never made it past the fourth round of the EFL Cup. The Seagulls have the potential to be contenders.
Groẞ isn’t the only Brighton player to have started the season well. Attacker Malick Yalcouyé has hit the ground running after returning from a loan spell at Swansea City last season while central defender Luka Vušković has settled quickly after a summer transfer from Tottenham Hotspur.
Brighton still have Kaoru Mitoma, Yankuba Minteh and Georginio Rutter to return from injury, raising the prospect they will continue to get stronger over the course of the campaign. Even with so much talent to come back into the squad, Groẞ can be certain of his place in the central midfield unit.
The transfer model adopted by Brighton in the modern era places an importance on youth. The club targets young players around the world and develops it at the Amex Stadium with a view to one day moving them on for a sizable profit. They then reinvest the proceeds and the cycle repeats.
In Groẞ, though, Brighton have a central pillar to build around. At 35, they’re not going to make a profit on the German. They have already drawn their value out of the player in other ways and continue to do so with Groẞ currently enjoying his most productive season in blue and white.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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