There is one phrase that will never appear in Dario Vidosic’s coaching vocabulary: low block. This strategy is regularly used by other Women’s Super League clubs outside the division’s traditional top four to compete against tougher opposition, but not at Brighton. Brighton are pressing hard.
During a visit to the club’s state-of-the-art AMEKS training facility this week, where no corner of the building was off limits, it was easy to see Vidosic’s philosophy at work. Brighton lives and breathes the principles of print – that is, doing everything with coordinated control and purpose.
Even the way the building meanders from a chill out zone with a pool table and beanbag chairs to a more serious end, with a gym overlooking immaculate training grounds, is intentional. It has a logical flow, a vision clearly written on the wall: “To be the first four clubs in the VSL”.
This week presents the ultimate stress test of that ambition as Brighton host defending champions Chelsea, live Ski Sports. Vidosic’s mantra is: “I’ll play anyone, anywhere, at any time”, such is his belief in the culture and competitiveness Brighton have created since joining 18 months ago.
Sunday, December 14, 11:00 a.m
Start at 11:55
Indeed, Vidosic’s Brighton scored more goals against Sonia Bompastor’s Chelsea (four) than any other team in the same period. Being aggressive and forward is where the plan begins and the rest is built around the “feel of the moment”.
Sitting in my office, surrounded by wall-to-wall tactical boards, it’s impossible to overlook how much work goes into each master plan.
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Highlights from Brighton’s 4-1 win over Leicester City
And yet, Vidošić does not like a rigid structure. “You have to watch and be adaptable,” he says, “Standards guide me, but I don’t plan too far in advance. I won’t plan pre-match talks, it’s a feeling. I know what I’m going to say before games and at half-time, but not how it’s going to be delivered. I don’t read quotes like an actor. I won’t read quotes like an actor. There’s not enough time to try to do what you have to do and you don’t have enough work to try. catch him.”
For the first time since November 2021 under Hope Powell, Brighton have the chance to make it three consecutive wins in the VSL this weekend – and at home they are the best.
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Highlights from Brighton’s 1-0 win over London City
Only Arsenal (36) and Manchester City (29) have scored more goals at home than Brighton in 2025 (20). Top scorer Kiko Seike has scored five in as many appearances, while Maddison Haley is also starting to make his mark with notable goal contributions in recent wins over Leicester and London City.
So a decent starting point.
Why culture is king
When Visodić arrived on the south coast in 2024, he became Brighton’s fourth permanent manager in less than two rather chaotic years, and the sixth person to take charge of the team in that period. The club was crying out for stability. Looks like they found him.
Visodić’s touches are everywhere in the space he shares with his technical staff, installing an ultramodern coffee machine because all the best ideas come from “coffee chats,” and a Subbuteo-style tactical table because strategy is best visualized.
“I’m very hands-on,” he explains. “There is no worse feeling than a player trying to show what he can do and the coach is not on the training pitch, I never want my players to feel like it’s a ‘nothing session’. I never want to miss anything, even during the international break where we train three players. I always want to be present.”
When players return to their home countries, as Colombian left-back Manuela Vanegas did during her last international spell, Visodić encourages them to return with a sign of home. On this occasion, Colombian coffee beans happened. Before that, it was lollipops.
Even the kit has been dressed in shirts of special significance, including Jelena Cankovic’s League Cup final top when she plays for Chelsea – although Fran Kirby is still waiting to make an appearance.
Brighton’s environment is elite without being elitist. It’s a particular point of pride for the boss, who strongly believes in creating shared experiences that tap into each player’s individuality. “The girls told me last season how much they wanted to come back after the winter break, and for me that’s better than winning. It’s dark, it’s cold, it’s hard work, but they want to come back to our environment, and it’s like a trophy.”
“I’m always on my own whether I should be talking to the players seriously or laughing or joking. I don’t mind being the center of a joke if I do something wrong, it’s important that we have an environment where we’re all alone. The players are the stars, I don’t think anyone pays to come and watch the managers wave their hands – I’m just there to help.”
Styling changes to match the Brighton brand
During a casual lunch, Vidosic explained his distaste for the low block, preferring to always train “low press” if the situation dictates. The data offer a better understanding of what this progressive approach means in practice.
By most attacking metrics, Brighton tend to keep pace with the top four. They have scored 14 goals this term, just two less than Chelsea, and 12 goals from open play, one less than Chelsea’s 13.
Their zone actions are far more offensively weighted than they used to be, particularly noticeable in the final third where tackles were up 17 per cent last season compared to the previous year. Box entries are up nearly 50 percent. It’s simply a bolder, riskier way of attacking games – similar to the way Fabian Hurzeler’s side play.
Brighton are the team that produces numbers closest to the top four for opposition touches this term (267) and kG threats (14.8). They make a higher-than-average share of final and third passes and have played second-most possessions (15), behind Manchester City in that category. Vidosić is committed to this style regardless of the opponent.
“We want top four but I want to win. I don’t mind putting my neck on the chopping board to say we want to be champions,” he tells me. “You’ll never catch me saying, ‘If we draw, we’ll be happy’. We play to win and that’s our mindset. It’s only impossible when it’s not mathematically possible.”
In order for Brighton to press so aggressively, it must be coordinated, the details of which Vidosić will be happy to obsess over. “With Chelsea I will have a million different scenarios. I will play the game six or seven times in my head and then the idea will be right.
Can Brighton compete with the best?
Brighton have lost all four games against their current top five this season. It seems to be their Achilles heel.
But a look at their goal difference column (+4) – the most obvious indicator of the validity of the league position – will tell you that they have not been far behind in the matches they have lost. The margin of defeat was never more than one goal, in fact.
Perhaps for a coach so focused on winning, that reality is even more frustrating. “We can make so many changes in just one year, we have a lot of young players and experiences are the best way for them to learn. There are moments in your throat but you need them, we want to be aggressive, we want to play.”
“Against Man City we are winning 1-0, we have the result in our hands and then we let it scare us, so we have to learn to handle games better and control our emotions – almost ignore the scoreboard and the time and just play.
Plans of portable windows
Vidosic is adamant that his personal ambitions match those of a club seemingly on the rise, revealing that “several calls” have already been made in anticipation of the January transfer window opening in a few weeks’ time. A replacement for injured England ace Michelle Agiemang is top of the wish list.
Asked where he feels he needs to improve the most, he says: “We need some numbers in the middle of the park and up front, we’re a bit thin. We lost Michelle, a player who arrived here full of ambition and confidence after a summer with England.”
“With Tony Bloom we have a data model of recruitment so we are trying to get the right players to try to fit the brand of football we want to play. We are making good strides and will be active in January to try to bring in a couple. The club knows we want two in every position, the natural competition helps a lot.”
Has the endgame changed?
Brighton will not be defined by the outcome of Sunday’s meeting with Chelsea, but should use it as a barometer of aspirations. They haven’t beaten the Blues since 2021 and have suffered enough injuries recently to suggest this next meeting will be equally testing.
However, it is clear that they are in good hands, with a positive trajectory and a leader who can see beyond the boundaries. The club outlined their plans to break into the top four of the VSL before Vidosic’s arrival in 2022 and are yet to achieve that goal. It is surely the next big turning point.
At his first press conference, Vidošić told reporters that he believes that “every team should strive to be a champion” – a year and a half into his tenure, that has not changed. Sunday will give an insight into how realistic that dream is or not.
Watch Brighton v Chelsea live on Sky Sports Football on Sunday from 11am; start at 11:55 a.m