Albion’s high line has come under the spotlight and been questioned.

Not just now. Former England star Alan Shearer turned the national focus on how they can be vulnerable as he spoke on Match Of The Day on Sunday.

It was timely enough given the Seagulls had just conceded twice in a Premier League match for the first time this season.

But there are those who have worried about it, or just been intrigued by the tactical plan, ever since we saw the first friendlies, leading into a torrid first 15 minutes at Everton.

Let’s be clear. That is not necessarily to say the plan is wrong.

Shearer pointed out that all four goals conceded have come from having the high line.

But four goals conceded in the five games they have had is actually a good record given the opposition.

Equally, if a team play in a certain way, then all goals conceded will be because that is how they play.

Just as all goals avoided, all goals scored, all the good stuff will also be due to the way they play.

It is questionable whether the goal conceded at Arsenal was down to them defending so high, as Shearer’s analysis on Match Of The Day inferred.

It was more an error by Lewis Dunk, who looked like he dummied a header in an attempt to keep possession rather than just nod the ball hopefully forward.

He successfully pulled off the same move twice in the second half.

Equally, there were from memory two moments in which Albion have been badly exposed this season and got lucky.

The first was Manchester United’s disallowed goal at 1-1 when Joshua Zirkzee was offside as the ball hit him on the way into the net. The second was right at the end on Sunday, when Ramon Sosa failed to shoot or pass properly.

Yes, he was offside, but he did not need to be. Albion were scrambling – and fortunate.

That was unlike the moment at Goodison, when Everton missed an open goal but the Seagulls had kept their shape and line, and caught the hosts offside.

For some reason, that moment was included in the highlight package offered by MOTD that night, giving the false impression that Albion were lucky not to go behind.

Were they lucky in the second half at Arsenal when Bart Verbruggen saved from Kai Havertz?

No – a good save is good play, not good luck. But they WERE exposed.

It has been happening since day one and it may well continue to happen.

The key will be that it does not happen too often.

Albion fans whose nerves used to be put on edge by short-passing at the back will now cross their fingers when opponents launch counter attacks.

When looking to catch teams offside, it helps that we are now in the VAR age which means you cannot be let down by a poor decision if you get things right.

But we are seeing more of those instances where a player is offside but the flag initially stays down, and is raised when the move has ended, which can be infuriating.

Fans will be more at ease if Albion keep the ball well, if they can have pressure on opponents looking to make through passes.

And if they work hard right from the front to stop attacks in their tracks. That has been notable with Huerzeler right from the first friendly.

Every time you ask the boss about an attacking player, he will refer to whether that individual does his work off the ball.

There was a moment early in the second half against Nottingham Forest when an attack broke down.

Forest had men over as they looked to spring forward but the Albion attacking unit got back very quickly to smother them and cut off a potential pass.

Huerzeler loved that, applauding his players with his hands high above his head.

Shearer pinpointed van Hecke being drawn forward out of the back line, opening space for Forest to exploit.

But midfielder Jack Hinshelwood told BBC Radio Sussex: “For the second goal there was too big a gap in midfield between me and Mats (Wieffer) and we need to shuffle over more.

“Just a few things led to us being more open at the back so we have got to learn from it.

“We will take this on board but we need to make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

Welbeck said: “We know how we have to play against teams who maybe want to get in behind us.

“The responsibility doesn’t just lie in the backline, it starts from further up the pitch.

“Everybody has got their role and, for that second goal, we didn’t do what we were supposed to do.”

Giving a defender’s perspective one game into the season, van Hecke told The Argus: “You need to be brave. Against Villarreal (in pre-season), we did it also in the first 20 minutes and they kept playing long balls over our heads.

“And I was like, ‘This is tough to defend’. But then against Everton we had like seven offsides.

“We kept our high line and then you saw it’s a big advantage for us.

“We can have the ball and then we decide what’s going to happen.”

Albion are unbeaten after five games for the first time in a Premier League season, which is good.

But they also have their lowest points total at this stage since 2020-21 with nine out of 15 and that will be the disappointment.

(Over the last four seasons, Albion are averaging an impressive 2.15 points per game over the first five fixtures).

It is still early days for a new squad and coach. And the plan will not change, not radically so anyway.

It will be about high intensity, a high line and high reward – and looking to the line for an offside flag flying high.