There’s one phrase that never appears in Dario Vidosic’s coaching lingo: low block. This strategy is regularly used by other Women’s Super League clubs outside the division’s traditional top four to compete against stronger opposition, but not at Brighton. Brighton press hard.
A visit to the club’s state-of-the-art Amex training facility this week, with every corner of the building cordoned off, clearly shows Vidosic’s philosophy in action. Brighton lives by the principles of a news organization: doing everything with coordinated control and purpose.
Even the way the building winds its way from a relaxing area with a pool table and bean bag chairs to a more formal area with a gym overlooking an immaculate training pitch is intentional. There’s a logical flow to it, and the vision is clearly written on the wall: to be a top-four club in the WSL.
Brighton’s ambitions will be put to the ultimate stress test this Sunday when they host defending champions Chelsea, live on Sky Sports. This is Vidosic’s credo. “Play anytime, anywhere, with anyone.” This is his belief in the culture and competitiveness that Brighton have built since joining 18 months ago.
Sunday, December 14th 11am
11:55am kickoff
In fact, Vidosic’s Brighton have scored more goals against Sonia Bompastre’s Chelsea than any other team in the same period (four). Being proactive and moving forward is the beginning of the plan, and the rest is built around “feeling the moment.”
Sitting in his office, surrounded by wall-to-wall tactical boards, it’s hard to miss how much work goes into each master plan.
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Highlights of Brighton’s 4-1 win over Leicester City
Still, Vidosic doesn’t like rigid structures. “You have to observe and be adaptable. You’re guided by the criteria, but you don’t plan too far ahead. You don’t plan the pre-game talk. It’s a feeling. You know what you’re going to say before the game or at half-time, You don’t know how that will come across. You don’t read quotes as an actor. You have enough work to do without trying to be someone you’re not. You have to feel the moment and try to capture it.”
For the first time since November 2021 under Hope Powell, Brighton have the chance to make it three wins in a row in the WSL this weekend – and home is where they can perform best.
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Highlights of Brighton’s 1-0 win against London City
In 2025, only Arsenal (36 goals) and Man City (29) have scored more goals on their home ground than Brighton (20). Top scorer Kiko Seike has scored five goals in all competitions, while Maddison Haley is also starting to emerge, contributing important goals in recent wins against Leicester and London City.
Then it’s a decent starting point.
Why culture is king
When Visodic arrived on the south coast in 2024, he became Brighton’s fourth permanent head coach in less than two chaotic years, and the sixth person to take charge of the team in that time. The club was looking for stability. Looks like they found it.
Visodic’s attention to detail is evident throughout the spaces he shares with his technical staff, including an ultra-modern coffee machine because all the best ideas come from “coffee chats” and a Subbuteo-style playbook because it’s the best way to visualize strategy.
“I’m very hands-on,” he explains. “There’s nothing worse than a player trying to show what he’s capable of and the coach not being on the practice field. I don’t want the players to feel like it’s ‘no practice’. I don’t want to miss anything, even during the international break when three players practice. I always want to be there.”
Dario Vidosic is passionate about creating the right culture in Brighton
When players return to their home countries, Visodic encourages them to carry a badge of home with them, as Colombian left-back Manuela Banegas did in a recent international match. This time it happened to be coffee beans from Colombia. Before that, it was Lolipop.
Even the kit room is adorned with shirts with special meaning, including former Chelsea player Jelena Kankovic’s League Cup final leader, but Fran Kirby’s arrival is still awaited.
Fran Kirby was a high-profile player signed by Brighton in the summer of 2024.
The environment in Brighton is elitist, not elitist. This is something that Boss is particularly proud of, as we strongly believe in creating shared experiences that leverage the uniqueness of each player. “Last season, the girls said how much they wanted to come back after winter break, and for me that’s more rewarding than winning. It’s dark and cold and it’s hard work, but they want to be back in our environment. It’s like a trophy.”
“Whether I need to have a serious talk with the players or when I need to have a laugh or joke, I’m always myself. I don’t mind being the center of the joke if something goes wrong. It’s important to have an environment where everyone can be themselves. The players are the stars. I don’t think anyone pays to come and watch the coach throw his arms around. I’m just there to help.”
Restyled to match Brighton’s branding
Over a casual lunch, Vidosic explained his aversion to low blocks, saying he always prefers to coach “rope presses” depending on the situation. The data can help us better understand what that progressive approach means in practice.
According to most attacking metrics, Brighton tend to keep pace with the top four. This season they have scored 14 goals, just two fewer than Chelsea, 12 of which have come from open play, one less than Chelsea’s 13.
Their action zone is much more focused on attacking areas than in the past, especially in the final third, with entries up 17 per cent year-on-year last season. Box entries increased by nearly 50 percent. Simply put, this is a braver, riskier way of attacking the game, similar to how Fabian Hürzeler’s side play.
Brighton are the team closest to the top four in terms of touches inside the box (267) and xG threat (14.8) this season. They complete a higher than average percentage of final third passes and also have the second highest number of through passes (15), behind only Manchester City in this category. Vidosic sticks to this style regardless of the opponent.
“We want top four, but I want to win. I don’t mind putting my head on the chopping block to say I want to be champion,” he tells me. “You’ll never understand me saying ‘I’d be happy if we got a draw’. We’re playing to win and that’s our mindset. It’s only possible if it’s mathematically impossible.”
It will take some adjustment for Brighton to press so aggressively, but Vidosic will be happy to dwell on the details. “With Chelsea there are a million different scenarios. You play it six or seven times in your head and the idea feels right.”
Will Brighton be able to compete with the powerhouses?
Brighton have lost all four games against current top five opponents so far this season. That seems to be their Achilles heel.
However, if we look at the most obvious indicator of the validity of the league position, the goal difference column (+4), we can see that the difference in games lost was not that great. In fact, the margin of defeat has never been more than one goal.
Perhaps that reality is even more frustrating for a coach so determined to win. “You can make that much change in one year. We have a lot of young players and experience is the best way for them to learn. There will be heart-wrenching moments, but we need them too. We want to be aggressive and we want to play.”
“We won 1-0 against Man City. The result was in our hands and we allowed ourselves to be scared of the result. So we need to learn to process the game better and control our emotions. We pretty much ignore the scoreboard and the time and just play.”
Transfer window plan
Michel Agyeman was lost to injury while playing for England earlier this season.
Vidosic is adamant that his personal ambitions align with those of the club, which appears to be on the rise, and revealed that “several calls” have already been made ahead of the January transfer window, which opens in a few weeks. Replacing injured England ace Michel Agyemang is at the top of his wish list.
When asked where he thinks we need to strengthen the most, he replied: “We need some players in the middle of the park and up front, but we’re a bit thin. We’ve lost Michel, a player who came here after a summer with England full of ambition and confidence.”
“Thanks to Tony Bloom, we have a recruitment data model so we’re looking to bring in the right players to fit the brand of football we want to play. We’re on track and will be actively looking to make some signings in January. The club knows we want two players in every position and the natural competition helps a lot.”
Has the endgame changed?
Brighton will not be determined by the result of Sunday’s game against Chelsea, but they should use it as a barometer for their ambitions. They haven’t beaten the Blues since 2021, but their recent injury spree suggests their next fixture will be just as testing.
But it’s clear they have a positive trajectory and a leader who looks beyond the limits. The club outlined plans to break into the WSL’s top four before Vidosic arrived in 2022, but that goal has yet to be achieved. That’s definitely the next big milestone.
At his first press conference, Vidosic told reporters that he believes “every team should aim to become a champion,” and that hasn’t changed a year and a half after taking over. Sunday will give you a glimpse of how real that dream actually is, or not.
Watch Brighton v Chelsea live on Sky Sports Football from 11am on Sunday. 11:55am kickoff
