Matt O’Riley has pointed out that the most noticeable contrast between the English Premier League and the Scottish Premiership lies in the level of competition each top-flight side brings to the pitch…
Last summer, Matt O’Riley signed with Brighton and Hove Albion in a move that matched the Scottish transfer record with a £25 million fee. After a standout two-and-a-half seasons with Celtic, where he notched 27 goals and 35 assists in 124 matches, the Seagulls brought him to the American Express Stadium.
“It’s a more competitive league than in Scotland”
In an interview with The Athletic, the 24-year-old Danish midfielder – who claimed six trophies in Scotland, including a domestic treble in the 2022/23 season – said: “It’s a more competitive league than in Scotland.
“Every game poses a different challenge and that’s great. I really enjoy that because you need to find different solutions to be a team. We have often struggled against a low block [deep defence]this season. We created more than enough chances to win the game against Leicester.
‘More of a ruthless mindset to kill the game early’
“It wasn’t an issue of breaking down a low block. It was more of a ruthless mindset to kill the game early but also not concede. I am enjoying being in the league. I am having a great time, but I still want to do better with the team.”
Matt O’Riley’s time at Brighton has been disrupted by injuries
Matt O’Riley is starting to rediscover the level of performance that initially convinced the Seagulls to invest heavily in bringing him on board. Fortunately, he’s now bounced back from a disastrous debut, where a reckless challenge by Crawley Town’s Jay Williams just nine minutes into a League Cup match left him with an ankle injury that kept him out of action for three months.
O’Riley’s time at Brighton has been disrupted by injuries, including a knee issue picked up in a win over Ipswich Town that sidelined him for a month in February.
The Danish midfielder has scored once in his 17 outings for Brighton – a decisive strike against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City in November – and concedes that battling through injury has prevented him from hitting top form.
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‘I am grateful for a bit of rhythm’
O’Riley said: “The most frustrating one was my knee recently after Ipswich [2-0 away win in January] because I was trying to train with it. There was so much fluid in my knee every day – it was two months of not playing anywhere near my best capacity.”
“The first injury I accepted. It was a long-term injury and I came back pretty strong and pretty healthy – whereas that one [knee]was more niggly. That has settled down and I am grateful for a bit of rhythm.”
Conor Spence
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