Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has had a tough start to the seasonplaceholder image
Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has had a tough start to the season | Getty Images
Reaction from Brighton’s 2-1 Premier League loss at high-flying Bournemouth
Albion suffered their second loss of the Premier League campaign as they went down 2-1 at Bournemouth last Saturday.
The result leaves them 13th in the fledgling league table with four points from their first four Premier League matches.
So far, Fabian Hurzeler's Brighton have drawn 1-1 at home to Fulham - a match they should have won comfortably. They then suffered a 2-0 loss in Everton's first ever Premier League match at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.
Brighton though hit back well as they thrashed Championship outfit Oxford United 6-0 in the Carabao Cup, swiftly followed by a memorable and morale boosting 2-1 home win against Pep Guardiola's Manchester City.
So why the Fabian Hurzeler sack talk?
The result at Bournemouth was disappointing but Andoni Iraola team are an extremely dangerous outfit. They have been for a while and are a tough day's work for any Premier League outfit.
Hurzeler set his team up pretty well at the Vitality Stadium but it's tough to blame the German when key players Jack Hinshelwood and Maxim De Cuyper both suffered bad injuries in the early and had to be taken off.
Hurzeler was also not at fault as Jan Pual van Hecke stuck out a clumsy leg and conceded a second half penalty, just as Brighton were getting back into the game.
The Bournemouth match also came directly after the international break, which are often notoriously tricky to manage as the likes of Yankuba Minteh, Kaoru Mitoma, Carlos Baleba and Diego Gomez all flew back from long-haul and exhausting trips. It's almost impossible for them to be at their best just days after.
James Milner for Carlos Baleba
This was a decision that caused plenty of debate from Brighton fans and Hurzeler received plenty of stick for this one.
The German head coach wanted a reliable pesence in the midfield against Bournemouth and Hinshelwood (quickly replaced by Yasin Ayari) was placed alongside the 39-year-old to provide the legs.
I personally had no issue with this call. Milner looks supremely fit at the moment and is still more than capable of playing 60 minutes in the Premier League. At the moment, he is a safer bet than Baleba who has been way off the pace in the opening matches.
Baleba struggled with a knee injury in pre-season and the speculation linking him to Manchester United has clearly had an impact. The Cameroon international is no where near his best, and that is a concern for Brighton and something Hurzeler has to manage.
Should Hurzeler be under pressure already?
My personal view is that talk of sacking Hurzeler is far too early. This Premier League season looks set to be one of the most competitive in history and teams will be taking points of each other throughout the whole season. Staying consistent is going to be key.
Brighton's defence is a concern and at the moment they are too easy to score against. Perhaps they should have pushed harder for Liverpool's Joe Gomez in the transfer window?
Hurzeler will be feeling the pressure and this Saturday at home against Tottenham is another big one for him. Not just in terms of points but on the mood of the fanbase.
Hurzeler has perhaps never been quite as popular as his charismatic predecessor Roberto De Zerbi. But as far as the club is concerned, Hurzeler is far easier to work with.
De Zerbi also had the luxury of Brighton’s best midfield in their entire history with Alexis Mac Allister, Moises Caicedo and Pascal Gross. When they were sold, the wheels came off slightly.
Hurzeler is a stable and consistent character and works well within Brighton’s structure.
But he also demands a great deal from his players and seems to have their respect. I have yet to see this Brighton team not want to play for Hurzeler.
Big calls were made this summer on players leaving but Hurzeler's squad is now easier to manage. He has the characters and, for the most part, he has the type of players he wants.
Fabian Hurzeler verdict
The next two months will be key for Hurzeler and if Brighton are not in the race for Europe in the final few months of the season, then questions can be raised, and with justification.
Until then, Hurzeler gets my vote.
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