Brighton centre half Shane Duffy has said that any week where the club take four points from the Premier League should be welcomed as we continue to strive for a second year in the top flight following promotion, and with a good week behind us he feels we are on a four game run where valuale points can be added to our tally.
With points secured from the visit to Southampton and last weekend’s home tie against West Ham United, Duffy believes we can increase our total when we face Stoke City and Swansea City in coming fixtures.
Speaking to the Official Site with the preparations for the next game well underway, the 26 year old Irishman explained.
‘We`ve looked at these fixtures and thought they`re the best chances of us getting a run together. It`s started well but we know things can turn around quickly. The teams are all quite level in this league and it`s literally just moments of brilliance that make the difference.’
He added with reference to the last match.
‘Either Jose Izquierdo pops up or a good bit of defending leads to a clean sheet – it`s so tight and the league shows that. You see Swansea have turned things around for themselves – it`s just so unpredictable and we`ve got to be on our game every week. We`re confident going into the game against Stoke on Saturday.’
With a winless streak in the Premier League over the last few matches, Duffy also spoke about the importance of getting back to winning ways as although the group were confident, nothing rubs that in at the training ground like a solid three points.
‘It was a relief to get back to winning ways, because we`ve been a little unfortunate with some results. I felt like we could have won against Southampton, but we got the win against West Ham and it was a good feeling. At the end of the day, it was still a point away from home and we had to defend quite a lot down there (Southampton). Four points is a good week in this league, against two teams around us – so bring on the next two games.’
There was obviously praise for Izquierdo and his sensational effort at the weekend and Duffy felt he was now starting to really come into himself as he adjusted to the team and life at the club. He also more than acknowledged it was a pivotal strike in the game.
‘It was a great strike and he`s got that in his locker, he`s done it a few times in training. Sometimes it will go for a throw-in or it will go in the top corner – but it was a great moment and it changed the game. He`s got that little bit of brilliance about him – he can pop up and score wonder goals. He`s got a lot of pace, and you even see the best players, like Mohammed Salah, missing two or three before putting it in the top corner.’
He went on to add.
‘He`s still adapting to this league, as it`s his first season, but I think he`s done great and he`s a massive threat for us. A moment like that is probably our goal of the season so far. It was quite tight when it was 1-1, and that`s what you need in this league, a bit of magic. We then controlled the game until the finish and Pascal [Gross] rounded it off.’
