Head coach Fabian Hürzeler is adamant that he can handle the pressure of Brighton and Hove Albion’s current slump in form.
Albion were beaten 3-1 at home by bitter rivals Crystal Palace on Sunday (15 December) to stretch the club’s winless run to four games amid growing frustration among supporters.
Hürzeler, who enjoyed a successful spell with German side St Pauli before becoming the Premier League’s youngest permanent manager in the summer, admits the current period of adversity is a “new experience”.
He said: “I can deal with this situation. I can handle this because I love to have the responsibility and I also know it’s part of it to have this pressure and to be judged by the results.”
The 31-year-old manager was speaking at a press conference before Brighton’s trip to West Ham United on Saturday (21 December).
He said: “On top of that, the club has an amazing structure so the people responsible like Tony (Bloom, chairman), like Paul (Barber, chief executive) and David (Weir, technical director), they’re always there. They always give me the feeling like they support me, they believe in the club, in the work we do.
“It’s not about complaining. It’s about working hard. It’s about trying to find solutions, trying to be there for the team, trying to lead by example by the work ethic.
“The performances were ok (in) the last games. They were not that bad – and it’s just now to get the momentum back.”
Brighton briefly went second in the table after a 1-1 draw with bottom club Southampton at the end of last month.
But the Seagulls subsequently blew a two-goal lead to draw with Leicester City between defeats to Fulham and Palace, sending the side plummeting to ninth place.
Hürzeler said: “It’s a new experience, for sure. I had a lot of great success so far in my career but I knew that this phase would come and, now it’s here, I can learn a lot.
“I’m in the right club to experience this phase because it’s a club that’s well structured. We have great characters in the team. The team know what to do. The team work hard. They’re not pointing the fingers at each other.
“They try to see the mistakes on their own and then they try to improve. In the end, the values of the club – this community, this togetherness – will help bring us out of this period.”
Right-back Joel Veltman and midfielder Matt O’Riley are in contention to return at the London Stadium while centre-back Adam Webster is back in training.
Veteran forward Danny Welbeck, who has been troubled by an ankle issue, remains sidelined.