Brighton head coach Roberto De Zerbi says his team played “without mental energy” during their 6-1 defeat by Aston Villa.
Villa blew their opponents away in the West Midlands and were 3-0 up at half-time, thanks to two goals from Ollie Watkins and a Pervis Estupinan own goal.
“We played a very bad game, without energy, mental energy,” De Zerbi told TNT Sports. “The biggest responsibility is mine because I am coach.
“We have to adapt this season. It is totally different to last season. It is very tough, we’re playing every three days.”
Ansu Fati, on at half-time, scored for Brighton just after the restart but a further Watkins goal as well as strikes from Douglas Luiz and Jacob Ramsey secured Villa a big win.
Brighton have now lost two matches in a row, having suffered a 1-0 Carabao Cup third-round defeat at Chelsea on Wednesday.
