Roberto De Zerbi
Posted in2022-2023-Season Daily News

#PLStories- De Zerbi’s admits Lewis Dunk is important for Brighton to qualify for Europe #BHAFC

April 8, 2023
The skipper makes his 200th Premier League appearance as his side visit Tottenham in a potential six-pointer. Head coach Roberto De Zerbi is facing a selection decision as to who partners Dunk at the back. But there will be no team rotation involving his captain, such is his influence. Dunk goes head-to-head with Harry Kane, the striker De Zerbi rates the best in the Prem, tomorrow. Get more Albion stories delivered to your inbox every day by signing up to our Albion newsletter The Seagulls boss said of Dunk: “He has to play every game because he is too important for us. He is very important for us. “I think he is one of the best five centre-backs in the Premier League, but not only in the Premier League. “You can understand what I think about the quality of Lewis.” De Zerbi made it clear how highly he rates Kane – and why he wants Evan Ferguson to follow suit. He said: “Kane is a complete player, complete striker. “He can play like a No.10 or like a No.9. “He has the quality of a No.10 and he is a striker, a goalscorer like a No.9. “He is able to keep the ball, to play with team-mates in the last 20 metres and he understands when he has to attack the space or when to receive the ball. He is a top player. “Evan, now, his best quality is to score, to shoot, to find the goal. “I would like to help him become more complete, become a proper player. “Now he has one big quality but, to achieve the big level, he has to improve.” Midfield duo Moises Caicedo and Alexis Mac Allister are fit to play but Tariq Lamptey (knee) is still out.
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Brighton captain Lewis Dunk praises end of season points flurry with big wins #BHAFC

May 25, 2022
ALBION captain Lewis Dunkhas praised the club for a good finish to the season. The Seagulls beat West Ham United on the final matchday of the Premier League campaign, confirming their place in the top half of the table. This was made positive after a solid run of form which saw the club collect 17 points from their last eight games, including wins against Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United. The season will go into the record books of the club as the best ever and Dunk is hoping for even better next season. He said: “It’s been amazing. It has been a long old season with a lot of ups and downs but to finish it in the way we did has been unbelievable. “As a club we wanted to get into the top ten, and to accomplish it is brilliant – but we have to go again next year and try and do even better. “You have got to have ambition but the Premier League can be hard, as we found out a few weeks ago. “The international break in March came at a good time for us. We worked hard and finished the season incredibly strongly.” The good run of form followed a seven game winless run in which Albion's only point came in a draw against Norwich. Dunk said: “We stuck together in the dressing room and that was the result, a really strong finish. “We have come a long way as a club and I’ve been lucky to be on the whole journey from Withdean to the new stadium but we want more.”
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Brighton captain Lewis Dunk aiming for strong end to season and get all of 9 remaining points #BHAFC

May 4, 2022
LEWIS DUNK believes that his teammates are aiming for a strong end to the season. The 3-0 thrashing of Wolves on Saturday saw Albion set their new record for Premier League points collected in a single season (44) and it could get even better for the club as there are still three more games to be played. Dunk thinks that the players are keen to make the most of their position which has been made possible after winning 11 points out of 18 in April. The captain told BHAFC: “We’re in a good place at the moment and we want to keep it going right up until the last game – a top-ten finish is definitely something to aim for. “We’ve got some tough games left but there are nine points to play for and we're looking for nine points. “We enjoyed the win over Wolves but it’s back to preparing for Manchester United at the Amex on Saturday. “Let’s take each game on its own and see where we finish up.” The defender was also full of praise for one of the club's “best performances” of the season against Wolves. He said: “We really controlled the game and it was one of our best performances of the season. “We’ve done that quite a few times this season but this time we got the goals as well, so it was a lot less stressful at the end. “But as a defender I also wanted a clean sheet, so it was nice at the end when their shot hit the post. “We set high standards in games and in training and we’ll continue to do so for the last three games.” After Saturday’s Amex date with United, Albion face two sides that they have never lost Premier League games to. The first is an away fixture against relegation threatened Leeds before the season finale at the Amex against West Ham on May 22.
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Graham Potter expects to see Lewis Dunk back to his best #BHAFC

April 2, 2022
Lewis Dunk has been backed to return to his very best. The skipper has impressed in training of late as he continues his return from a knee injury. He has played five full Premier League matches since a lay-off which extended past the two-month mark. Those matches have seen him struggle to reach his best levels. Albion boss Graham Potter said: “It is the first time he has had a long injury, I would say, in his career. “There are lots of levels. It has been a challenge for him because psychologically you have to deal with that and then you have to get up to speed in the middle of a Premier League season - which is not easy and I think he has done it well. “As always he’s probably a little bit hard on himself but his performances have been probably not at the level he would like in terms of his maximum level. “But I think when you understand what he’s been through then I have no complaints. BRIGHTON LATEST ON ROBERT SANCHEZ AND TARIQ LAMPTEY “I think the weeks that we have had since the last game he has stepped up. “He has led the team really well in training and contributed to the week that we have had. “So it is a little bit normal, it is part of the narrative, it’s part of the reason why results maybe have not been quite as good but we just have to get on with that. “Sometimes these things happen and you have to get through it.”
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Lewis Dunk reveals he is still learning to lead to the team #BHAFC

March 31, 2022
ALBION captain Lewis Dunk thinks he has leant from some "great" captains and is still learning more from his current teammates. Dunk became the captain of the Albion in 2019 following the departure of Bruno Saltor from the playing staff. The 30-year-old has lead the club to a record points of 41 total in the Premier League He told the club website: “I’ve had great captains over my career to learn off and none of them are the same. Bruno Saltor passes the Brighton and Hove Albion captaincy to Lewis Dunk “I’ve had the likes of GG [Gordon Greer] and Bruno, everyone is different and I am different to them. “We all have our own strengths and weaknesses. “But I am not the only leader in this dressing room, we’ve got lads who have got unbelievable experiences and we have that to draw on. We all learn off each other. Dunk has also lauded extra praise on his teammate Adam Lallana, who he believes ha brought plenty of experience that the younger players can learn from. Lallana joined Albion from Liverpool, at which he won the Premier League and Champions League. Adam Lallana Dunk said“Now we’ve got someone who is just as worthy of being captain in Adam Lallana. “Why would you not want to learn from someone like that? I try and do that everyday. “He’s played at the very top of the game, he’s won the Premier League, the Champions League. “He’s amazing with the young players and they’re lucky to be able to learn from him. He’s great to have in the dressing room.” The centre-back has to lean on what he has learned in recent weeks with Albion on a six-game losing run which has seen the club slip to 13th in the Premier League table. Dunk and co will hope to put an end to that run on Saturday when they take on Norwich city at the Amex Stadium. “It’s been a difficult period, everyone has had their own disappointments during it, but I’ve got to be the leader in the group. People need to see me step up and lead by example. “I’ve just come back from injury and that’s been tough for me to hit the ground running and find some form. It’s been disappointing personally, but we’ve got to focus on getting back to a positive mindset.”
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Brighton captain Lewis Dunk reveals his leadership style #BHAFC

March 10, 2022
ALBION captain Lewis Dunk has admitted he tries to lead by example rather than bossing his teammates. The defender has been at the club since 2003 and has the task of leading the team out on the pitch. Dunk told the club website: "I am not the biggest talker in the dressing room, I am not the leader in that way. "I lead in slightly different ways, I am more everyday at the training ground and showing the other boys how we should act and lead by example. "We have our conversations in the changing rooms, and we talk like men and sit down and have it out with each other." Dunk will next wear the armband on Saturday against Liverpool in the Premier League.
Graham Potter Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Graham Potter thinks Lewis Dunk was incorrectly red carded against Manchester United #BHAFC #MUFC

February 16, 2022
Graham Potter has backed Lewis Dunk over his red card at Old Trafford. Referee Peter Bankes initially showed yellow before being directed to the pitchside monitor. Albion head coach Potter said: “It was a yellow card live. “Adam Webster was around on the cover. “It’s not clear and obvious that he can’t get there so I don’t understand the intervention. “I don’t know what the stats are but, when the referee goes over to the monitor, it seems it’s only going to go one way.” United made strong representations to Bankes when Dunk was shown yellow – to the extent that Bruno Fernandes was booked. GRAHAM POTTER VERDICT AS BRIGHTON LOSE TO MANCHESTER UNITED Potter was asked by a reporter based in the North West whether the home team were over-zealous in their arguments. He replied: “I think asking the question, you’re answering the question.” Pushed to respond himself, he added: “I don’t blame them, I’m not being critical. MANCHESTER UNITED 2 BRIGHTON 0: OUR LIVE REPORT “They have got to their bit for their team, which I respect. "Then you need the referee and VAR and to make the calls independent of any external pressure, which isn’t easy.”
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Graham Potter praises Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk for performance against Tottenham after injury #BHAFC

February 10, 2022
Lewis Dunk is poised for his Premier League return – helped by a big FA Cup test. Head coach Graham Potter has praised his skipper’s efforts in the 3-1 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. He now targets Saturday’s trip to Watford as Potter returns to the scene of his first game in charge of the Seagulls. Dunk missed nine games with a knee injury before being thrown in against Spurs’ array of dangerous attackers. Potter said: “I thought he was really, really good considering the time he has had out. “So brave, full of spirit, full of quality. “A bit of rustiness as you can imagine after a couple of months and playing at the level. “Son and Kane and Moura are as good as you get in terms of attacking the spaces. “A tough night for him but I thought he coped with it really well.” Dunk was named BBC’s man of the match when Potter opened his Albion tenure with a 3-0 win at Vicarage Road on the first day of the 2019-20 season. Current squad members Pascal Gross, Solly March and Shane Duffy all started that day and Neal Maupay scored on his debut off the bench. Potter’s first starting XI also included the now departed Maty Ryan, Martin Montoya, Dan Burn, Davy Propper, Dale Stephens, Jurgen Locadia and Glenn Murray. He sent on Florin Andone,who scored, and Bernardo as subs.
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Brighton skipper Lewis Dunk reacts to defeat at Aston Villa #BHAFC

November 21, 2021
The Seagulls skipper felt his side dealt well with the occasion as Steven Gerrard Took charge of the hosts - but not well enough. He said: "If you look at the overall game, we controlled the majority of it but that’s the Premier League for you, isn’t it? "It’s no good just controlling the game. We have got to get in front and defend it. "We lacked that today and we got punished. "That was probably their gameplan, what they set out to do, to sit there and counter attack." Dunk felt Albion dealt well with what was initially a loud atmosphere. ASTON VILLA 2 BRIGHTON 0 - HOW IT HAPPENED He added: "We lacked that cutting edge. We weren’t quite there in the final third today. "It’s a frustrating game but we have got a home game next and we have to move on and get out of this little rut we are in."
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2021-2022-Season Daily News

#PLStories- Lewis Dunk proud of Brighton’s 2-2 draw at Liverpool #BHAFC

October 31, 2021
The away section were in great spirits as their side came from 2-0 down to secure a Premier League point. They could not repeat their win at Liverpool behind closed doors last season. But they were desperately close to another famous victory. Skipper Dunk said of the fans’ presence this time: “It’s different. It makes it harder for us because they can be noisy. “But our own fans in the end were the ones singing. “That is the way we want it to be and that’s the way we made it. “Disappointed we didn’t nick it in the end. “But if you look back at it in a couple of weeks and we got a point at Anfield, we’ll take it.” Dunk was delighted with his side’s efforts after the game seemed to have got away from them. He sad: “It was a very good performance in the end. “Obviously it was a very tough first half an hour. LIVERPOOL 2 BRIGHTON 2 - HOW WE REPORTED THE ACTION “We knew they were going to start quick and we weren’t quite with it. “But we found our feet and were probably the better team in the end – and could have been disappointed with not winning it. “But to be 2-0 down and get a draw at Anfield is a great feat.”
Lewis Dunk Brighton
Posted in2020-2021-Season Daily News

#PLStories- #GarethSouthgate explains why he picked #BenWhite over #LewisDunk #BHAFC

May 26, 2021
England boss Gareth Southgate has explained his reasons for selecting Albion defender Ben White over his skipper and teammate Lewis Dunk. The 23-year-old received his first call-up as part of Southgate’s 33-man provisional squad ahead of the more experienced option of Dunk, who has already been capped by England. However, his omission from the squad came as a surprise to some pundits and fans including former England defender and manager Stuart Pearce. Read More: Stuart Pearce is surprised by Lewis Dunk’s omission from England squad But Southgate has explained that age played a part in his decision to pick White instead of Dunk. He said: “It’s less that we see him (Ben White) ahead of Lewis (Dunk), but Ben is a younger player and there is a bit of an investment for the future there. “We know Lewis has had a very good season with Brighton and I know Graham (Potter) is delighted with what he has done for them. “With Ben we have tracked him since he has been on loan at Leeds we have seen him play in midfield, we have seen him play across the backline, he is comfortable with the ball and he has got pace. “So we know it is still early with centre backs like Ben White, Ben Godfrey, Fikayo (Tomori). Centre backs usually mature much later. “But these guys are getting good experience at a young age in some of the top leagues in the world, they are working with good coaches at their clubs and we think it is a good opportunity for them to come and work with us.”