Brighton vs Arsenal in the Premier League from the Amex Stadium - Wednesday, 7.30pm
Brighton ace Jack Hinshelwood has a “huge” role to play against title-chasing Arsenal this Wednesday.
The Albion academy graduate has featured in the No 10 position for the last two matches as Brighton recorded much-needed Premier League wins against Brentford and Nottingham Forest.
Hinshelwood, 20, is a versatile performer and head coach Fabian Hurzeler has used him in a variety of roles during his time at the club.
Hinshelwood has played in both full back roles, deep midfield and now as the main attacking midfielder. It’s a huge show of faith from Hurzeler as Hinshelwood is currently ahead of Pascal Gross, Georginio, Matt O’Riley and Charalampos Kostoulas in that key area.
It has allowed Gross to offer greater stability in a deeper midfield spot, alongside another veteran, James Milner. Milner, 40, is likely to put his feet up for the Arsenal match but it will be a surprise if Hinshelwood’s role is tweaked.
“He's able to play a lot of positions,” said Hurzeler to Sussex World. “He already had really good games as a right full-back, for example, against City this season.
“He has good games as a six, now he's playing more as a 10. I think it's huge to him because he has a good understanding of attacking the spaces.
“He has a good understanding of attacking the opponent's box. Last season he scored a lot of goals for us, so we want to bring him back into this danger zone where he can show his full potential.
“Therefore, at the moment, he seems to be a good fit and now hopefully he can continue with these kinds of performances.”
Yasin Ayari is ready to face Arsenal
With Yasin Ayari set to return after a shoulder injury, Hurzeler has a near fully fit squad to choose from. The likes of Carlos Baleba, Georginio, Yankuba Minteh have all been on the bench of late and face a battle to get back into Hurzeler’s plans.
The German head coach added: “It's really sometimes in a group unit meeting where we show every player, these are the demands we have for you.
“And now everyone has to take ownership. On the other side it's also about mental support because some of the players haven’t often been in these kind of situations.
“The young players coming from different cultures. I know that it's not easy to be on the bench and to not play.
“So we have to also be there for them. It needs to be a good mix between caring and challenging. That's what we try to do.
“Every player who's sitting on the bench – Minteh, Rutter – we know what they're capable of doing. We know their quality and what they will bring, a big part in the final part of the season for us.”
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