Former England striker Fran Kirby says the departure of Brighton head coach Dario Vidosic on the eve of the season left her feeling "stressed" and "disappointed".
Vidosic guided Brighton to the club's first FA Cup final this year and finished a club-record fifth and seventh in the Women's Super League before leaving abruptly on 28 August, nine days before their opener against Arsenal.
He was replaced by Real Sociedad manager Arturo Ruiz on the same day.
"It wasn't easy when I heard," Kirby told the Women's Football Weekly podcast. "I was a bit disappointed.
"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.
"But we had Arsenal coming up and hadn't had a coaching session with the new manager.
"I was stressed."
Brighton lost their season curtain-raiser to the Gunners, the only game Arsenal have won so far in the WSL, and went winless through their first four league matches under Ruiz.
The 29-year-old did secure his first victory in the English top-flight before the international break, thrashing promoted Charlton 5-1.
However, this Sunday, Brighton travel to champions Manchester City, who have won all five WSL matches this season, for a game live on BBC Two (Sunday, 14:30 BST).
It is the first time the two sides have met since City won 4-0 in the FA Cup final in May.
A seven-time winner of the WSL with Chelsea, Kirby conceded 2026-27 has not been easy.
"We're under no illusions – it's been a tough start," said Kirby. "Getting the manager in so late and trying to adapt to his style of play. It's difficult when it comes so close to the start of the season.
"People say, 'Who have you got after the international break?' and it's Man City. We're trying not to think too much about it."
How have Brighton changed under Ruiz?
Under Vidosic, Brighton became a team seeking to dominate the ball, and during his first season in charge, they were very successful with only Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City averaging more possession per game.
They were physical too, committing the most fouls and accruing the most yellow cards in both 2024-25 and 2025-26.
"They could soak up pressure, and then build from the back," women's football journalist Annabel Bassett from The Brighton Base said. "They would overload in midfield and then possessed a real goal threat. It all came together."
That culminated in that inaugural FA Cup final in May, where they initially played well before being overrun.
Vidosic's departure damaged hopes for further progression, although Ruiz's success in leading unfancied Real Sociedad to Champions League qualification through finishing third in Liga F last year offers encouragement.
It has been a slow start. Following that opening defeat by Arsenal, Brighton dropped points against struggling Birmingham City and Aston Villa, despite strong performances.
Two League Cup wins helped, and the nature of that commanding victory over Charlton suggests Ruiz's style is starting to take root.
"We still want to play," said Kirby, "[but] now it's more about how we harm the opposition quicker. There was an element previously where we overplayed when we could have gone forward.
"It's hard to change the mindset quickly, but we've got a great group of people.
"I'm very black and white. Tell me what you want and I'll do my best for you."
Bassett has noticed the desire for possession has become even more pronounced.
"[Ruiz] talks a lot about nullifying opponents," she said. "He likes to win the ball high and their key threats are on the flanks to open up space in the middle.
"He seems really willing to try things and the message from the club is that behind the scenes, everything is working."
For his part, Ruiz is also confident his methods are getting through.
"I'm really happy with the performances and the work we have been doing," he told BBC Sport. "We could have done better to get more points but the beginning is very difficult without previous time to build identity and clarity.
"I hope that from this Sunday we can be more solid and have more consistency and clarity with and without the ball."
Beating Charlton was important for Brighton before the pause in action, especially given hosts City are on a club-record run of 15 straight home wins.
"They're a quality side," Kirby said. "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."
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