2:30pm Wednesday 10th March 2010
By Andy Naylor
The 0-0 draw at fourth-placed Colchester on Monday night showed again the strides Albion have made in a few months under Gus Poyet.
During his first eight games in charge the Seagulls were outclassed 3-0 at home by Leeds and spanked 4-1 at Norwich.
Charlton were 2-0 winners at Withdean, Colchester likewise by a 2-1 margin ten days later.
Contrast that with recent results in the return fixtures against the promotion contenders.
Albion lost 2-1 at home to Norwich but were leading with ten minutes left. They drew 1-1 at Leeds, an equaliser deep into stoppage time robbing them of victory.
Charlton were beaten 2-1 at The Valley and Albion looked far better than an uncompromising and limited Colchester.
When Aidy Boothroyd’s side claimed all three points at Withdean in December and the Seagulls went down 2-1 in their next match as well at Swindon, they were stuck in 21st place.
Since then Poyet has steered them to a seven-match unbeaten league run away from home and only two defeats out of 12.
They are now six points clear of the relegation zone, so what has changed, what magic dust has the Uruguyan sprinkled?
The starting point, as it always has to be when you are building a team, was sorting out the defence.
Albion were regularly shipping two goals per game but only Norwich have scored twice against them in the last nine matches.
January signings Inigo Calderon and Marcos Painter have made a big difference in the full-back positions but they are not the only reasons for the improvement.
Decision-making is a key component to success in any sport. What shot to select in tennis or golf, when to declare in cricket, whether to kick or pass in rugby.
Football is no different. Poyet and his Argentinian assistant Mauricio Taricco, who knows a thing or two about defending, have put that right.
Poyet said: “In the beginning, when we arrived, we were just competing and competing and competing. Now we are making decisions, we are thinking about it.
“Depending on who is in front of you, depending on the flight of the ball, we’ll go for it or we’ll drop. That is very important for us for next season.”
Poyet has also, with the signing of Kazenga LuaLua on loan from Newcastle, developed a system which suits the players at his disposal.
Albion were a little lopsided. Elliott Bennett provides natural width down one side, now LuaLua does the same on the other flank, and they can both play left or right.
The midfield trio all offer something different. Alan Navarro sits deep, breaks things up and keeps the play ticking.
The energy and strong running of Andrew Crofts asks questions of the opposition and Gary Dicker has the ability pick a pass which opens them up.
It is hard work for the lone frontrunner, Glenn Murray, but he is doing a good job in keeping the centre halves occupied.
Albion are unbeaten in four games since the change in formation. The next step now is to beat one of the top teams at home, an opportunity which presents itself with Swindon’s visit on Saturday.
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