Matt O'Riley

O'Riley has a genuine habit of arriving in the penalty box just as defenders finish tracking every other attacker around them, having timed his own run to start a half second after everybody else's has already been picked up. That timing turns him into a real goal threat from midfield rather than simply a passer feeding forward players. On the ball he is comfortable carrying it through central areas himself, choosing to drive at a defence rather than releasing possession early.

The question worth asking is whether that instinct to arrive late in the box costs him defensively further back, leaving a gap for the opposition to break into. Goal scoring midfielders often trade defensive discipline for attacking reward, and not every manager tolerates that balance equally. How Brighton use him, further forward or as an all round midfielder, shapes how many goals he contributes.