Brighton beginning to click under Ruiz

No one had a pre-season more distressing than Brighton and Hove Albion, the forward-thinkers who were stopped in their tracks by the sudden departure of Dario Vidosic, their talismanic head coach who left on the eve of the 2026-27 season.

A charismatic manager whose bold, exciting style of play led the Seagulls to last season’s FA Cup final, one would argue Vidosic – alongside Manchester City boss Andree Jeglertz - had the most secure job in the Barclays Women’s Super League, loved as he was by everyone at Brighton, from the board to the fans to the players.

While their hearts were shattered the Brighton hierarchy, as always, reacted quickly, convincing Arturo Ruiz – the promising Spaniard who led Real Sociedad into this season’s Champions League playoffs – to not only replace an adored figure in Vidosic but to do so with only nine days’ preparation before their opening fixture against Arsenal on 6 September.

Inheriting a Brighton dressing room which includes star midfielder Fran Kirby, who said she was “stressed” by the untimely departure of Vidosic, Ruiz – just 29 years old and with no previous coaching experience in England – was brave to change jobs without having a pre-season to instil his tactical blueprint.

And that courage has been evident in the opening weeks of the season, particularly in interviews where Ruiz has impressed with his ability to speak honestly but in a way that is polite and compelling – and it was no different in the lead up to Brighton’s recent clash with West Ham United.

“I want to keep watching all my players because they are training really well and I want to give opportunities to everybody at the minute because, for me, I don’t have my final starting eleven,” said the smooth, straight-talking Ruiz, confirming he and his Brighton players are still in the process of building trust.

However, that trust is beginning to grow now that Brighton – who have fought hard in every game this season only for fine margins to cost them in certain moments – have won four of their last five games in all competitions, including three in a row against West Ham, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Crystal Palace.

And while there are still areas for improvement, which is understandable given the busy fixture list has reduced time on the training pitch, the winning streak gives Ruiz and his Brighton charges confidence that their project has potential, provided they keep picking up points over the next few weeks.

Defence: Hayes a colossus as Mpome makes her return

While Brighton have only managed to keep one clean sheet in the BWSL this season - in the 3-0 home win over West Ham – they have the joint-third lowest xG conceded figure (8.9) in the league, with only Chelsea (4.9) and Arsenal (5.9) ranking higher.

And a big reason for that has been the incredible form of Caitlin Hayes, the ever-present centre-back who has won more aerial duels (25) than any other player and made the joint-sixth most defensive contributions (74) in the division.

Hayes also aids Brighton’s defence by helping them keep possession, with the 31-year-old having created six chances this season – a statistic that is only bettered by seven other centre-backs including her ball-playing team-mate Manuela Vanegas (8).

A tall, composed defender who is now in her second full season with Brighton, Hayes is a major force from set plays, scoring headers against Charlton Athletic and Wolves in the Subway Players Cup and Man City and Palace in the BWSL.

However, despite the form of Hayes and Vanegas, Brighton have struggled to keep clean sheets because they take risks building up from the back, as evidenced by the wayward pass from goalkeeper Chiamaka Nnadozie which led to Annabel Blanchard scoring a wonderful goal for Palace on Sunday.

Lacking a targetwoman who they can hit when they are unable to play short, the south-coast club have conceded six goals inside the first 20 minutes of games this season, while they have conceded first on seven occasions in all competitions.

One player who could act as a defensive remedy is Maelys Mpome, the 23-year-old Frenchwoman who – after missing the first few weeks of the season through injury – has featured in each of the last six fixtures for Brighton.

Making her first start of the season against West Ham, the right-back produced eight defensive contributions when up against wing-back Ines Belloumou and the in-form Viviane Asseyi, while the former Chelsea defender is making more interceptions per 90 minutes (3.7) than any other player in the BWSL.

But while Mpome scored and hit the post in the 6-0 thrashing of Wolves, she showed signs of rustiness against them and Palace, collecting a yellow card in both games after being too eager to win the ball back.

However, it is also worth noting that Brighton have only conceded once when Mpome has been on the pitch this season, which will give Ruiz hope that – once her sharpness is regained – she can be an asset for a side that has also kept clean sheets against Charlton and Wolves in the Subway Players Cup.

Midfield: New role for Olislagers as Joramo impresses

Brighton may have changed managers in the summer but they have not changed their philosophy, with Ruiz being a coach who - like his predecessor Vidosic – wants his side to enjoy a large amount of possession.

The biggest difference between the two bosses is that, as Hayes pointed out in the pre-match press conference before the West Ham game, Ruiz wants Brighton to play at a “faster pace” and to be “a little more direct” when they have the ball.

That checks out when you analyse the data which says Brighton are playing more accurate long balls per match (25.4) than anyone else in the BWSL this season, while they recorded the joint-fifth most (20.0) under Vidosic in 2025-26.

Another key difference between the two managers centres on the positioning of Marisa Olislagers, who was a flying left-back under Vidosic whereas Ruiz has asked the Dutchwoman to tuck into midfield in the last three games.

Photo 1: Olislagers' positioning under Vidosic

Photo 2: Olislagers' positioning under Ruiz

When Brighton had the ball against West Ham, Wolves and Palace, the intelligent 26-year-old moved alongside captain Maisie Symonds as defensive trio Mpome, Hayes and Vanegas spread out and Brighton built up with at least five players.

And the setup paid dividends against West Ham as Olislagers collected the ball infield and curled in a cross which deflected off Oona Siren and went all the way through to Kirby, who doubled Brighton’s lead.

As Brighton continue to get up to speed with the nuances of Ruiz’s brand of football, another midfielder who is giving him something to think about is Emilie Joramo, the summer signing from Swedish giants Hammarby.

With Switzerland international Lia Walti on the sidelines, Joramo has seized her opportunity to impress Ruiz by recording three goal contributions (one goal, two assists) across the last three games against West Ham, Wolves and Palace.

Able to push ahead when Olislagers moves into midfield, the 24-year-old teed up Kiko Seike in the victory over West Ham, while she left Hayley Ladd for dead with a sumptuous first touch in the lead up to Sophie Peskett’s winner against Palace.

And when possession is turned over and Olislagers reverts to left-back, Joramo tracks back admirably, snapping at the heels of the opposition to slow up their counter-attacks through the centre of the pitch.

Attack: Garcia fills Kafaji void as Krezyman nears comeback

While it is still early days in her Brighton career, in-form forward Olivia Garcia is threatening to become the latest example of why the club are widely regarded as one of the best talent-spotters in Europe.

Knowing Rosa Kafaji’s loan spell was set to expire at the end of last season, Brighton executed their succession plan in February, signing Garcia from Danish outfit HB Koge before loaning her to Swedish team AIK for the remainder of the campaign.

Fresh from scoring eight goals in 14 games for AIK, the United States-born winger has replicated that form in England, netting twice for Brighton, with Kafaji’s tally from last season already matched in 11 appearances.

Displaying the distinctive headguard she has worn since she was a child, the 23-year-old is a tenacious runner down the left-hand side, boasting a successful dribbles per 90 minutes statistic of 2.2  - the joint-fourth best in the BWSL this season.

While Garcia was unable to score in the recent league wins over Charlton and Palace, she was brilliant in both games – her ability to go either way yielding 24 touches in the opposition box and four chances created across the two fixtures.

And despite passing up chances to set her team-mates clear against West Ham, the good news for Brighton is that Garcia is regularly getting herself in dangerous positions and her decision-making should improve with experience.

Another positive for Brighton is that, according to Ruiz, Poland international Nadia Krezyman – an exciting, creative player who can play right across the front line – will make her return from injury “very soon”.

Like Krezyman, the aforementioned Peskett joined Brighton in the summer and is another one to watch over the coming weeks, with the quick-footed winger – who registered 10 goal contributions (five goals, five assists) for Ipswich Town last term – having posted three (two goals, one assist) in eight games this season.

Ruiz deserves credit for ensuring Brighton remain an attacking threat under his watch, with his players having scored 15 goals in eight BWSL games this season – a tally that is only bettered by four teams (Chelsea, Spurs, Man City, London City).

However, life is a lot easier as a coach when you work with attacking talent such as Seike and Kirby, the wonderful, evergreen duo who have both recorded four goal contributions in the BWSL this season.

While Seike missed the Palace match through injury, Kirby operated through the middle once again, creating another three chances to take her tally for the season to 20 – with only four players registering more in the league this term.

And Ruiz will be hoping she can continue to shine ahead of a testing run of fixtures that will tell us a lot more about his Brighton, with league games against Tottenham (A), Liverpool (H), Everton (A), Manchester United (A) and Chelsea (H) on the horizon.