Brighton's season in danger of fizzling out as pressure mounts on Potter
For the first time in his Brighton career, Graham Potter is under major pressure.
For the majority of his spell at the Amex Stadium, he has been a calm and collected figure on the touchlines, but recent results have turned sour...and at an alarming rate.
Saturday's defeat to Liverpool was their fifth loss in a row - the last time they endured such a barren run was all the way back in 2007, during the doldrum days of the Withdean Stadium.
Even in spite of this, there is still time for the Seagulls to record their best ever Premier League season. They managed 41 points in both the 2019/20 and 2020/21 campaigns, and already sit on 33 for the current term.
However, in four of these five losses, Brighton have failed to score, with the only strike coming in the 2-1 defeat at Newcastle, and it's clear a change of approach is somewhat needed.
Brighton are renowned for their patience in possession and eagerness to work the perfect chance, but their penchant for wasting excellent opportunities is becoming too much to bear. Leandro Trossard, for example, was pretty much on the penalty spot when teed up by Neal Maupay and somehow managed to balloon the ball into row Z.
Dan Burn's departure hasn't helped, either. Shane Duffy has looked shaky when he's played and Joel Veltman doesn't look totally comfortably when featuring as one of two centre backs. His lack of awareness when Luis Diaz ran in on goal and bravely scored a header showed that.
Thankfully for Brighton, they have points on the board and will not be worried about relegation. There are teams far worse than them in poorer runs of form, too.
But the season is in danger of petering out for Potter and his side. When a top ten finish once looked on the cards, now it looks like they'll be scrapping to even better their top finish of 15th.
Saturday's loss to Liverpool was a mixture of a few things. Some careless defending, a raised arm at the wrong time, some calls that went against the home side - which their fans let referee Mike Dean know about - but the disparity in quality between the two teams was there to be seen. And, after all, the Seagulls' season won't be defined by a loss to a team chasing the Premier League title.
However, their profligacy and timidness in front of goal is alarming right now. Since their promotion to the flight, Brighton have found ways to pick up wins at the right times, but right now it's tough to see where the goals come from.
Things don't get much easier over the next month or so, either. With two games against Tottenham and another at Arsenal, the home clash with Norwich is an absolute must-win. They'll be favourites for that fixture, but a change of approach may be needed if Brighton are to arrest this poor run of form they find themselves in.
For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!