Fran Kirby says Dario Vidosic’s sudden Brighton exit left her stressed

Kirby felt the impact of Brighton’s late coaching change

Fran Kirby says Dario Vidosic’s abrupt departure from Brighton shortly before the Women’s Super League season began left her “stressed” and “disappointed”. The head coach left on 28 August, just nine days before Brighton opened their campaign against Arsenal, and Arturo Ruiz was appointed on the same day.

“I had a really good relationship with Dario and think he's a fantastic coach that can go on and achieve amazing things with top clubs,” Kirby said on the Women’s Football Weekly podcast. With Arsenal looming and no training session yet under the new manager, she added: “I was stressed.”

A difficult start, followed by a first league win

Brighton lost their opener to Arsenal and then went without a league victory in their first four matches under Ruiz. They entered the international break with momentum, however, after beating promoted Charlton 5-1 for Ruiz’s first win in the English top flight.

“We're under no illusions – it's been a tough start,” Kirby said, describing the challenge of adapting to a new style so close to the season’s opening fixture. “It's hard to change the mindset quickly, but we've got a great group of people.”

Ruiz, 29, has spoken of the difficulty of building a team identity without a longer pre-season. “The beginning is very difficult without previous time to build identity and clarity,” he told BBC Sport, while saying he hoped Brighton could show greater consistency with and without the ball.

Brighton face unbeaten Manchester City

Brighton’s next test is a trip to champions Manchester City, who have won all five of their league matches this season. The fixture is the sides’ first meeting since City beat Brighton 4-0 in the FA Cup final in May.

Kirby said City’s depth makes them hard to contain, but backed Brighton’s own attacking threat: “You can nullify one player but then they've got another two or three. But we've got quality that can harm teams. Hopefully, we can put on a good performance.”

Under Vidosic, Brighton had built a possession-oriented approach that reached the club’s first FA Cup final and produced a club-record fifth-place league finish. Ruiz is now seeking a quicker route to attacking opportunities, with Kirby describing the shift as a move away from overplaying when forward options are available.