Fabian Hurzeler is facing his first crisis as Brighton & Hove Albion head coach.
Maybe a mini-crisis — given they are winless in four games — but problems are mounting for the 31-year-old German after Sunday’s 3-1 loss against rivals Crystal Palace, their first home defeat of the season.
The loss at the Amex Stadium follows a 2-2 draw after being 2-0 up at Leicester, where they conceded goals in the 86th and 91st minutes. That was preceded by a 3-1 defeat at Fulham and before that, a 1-1 home draw against 20th-placed Southampton.
They have won just two points from a possible 12 against three teams in the bottom six of the table and eighth-placed Fulham. In little more than a fortnight, Hurzeler’s team have dropped from second to ninth.
In September, after Hurzeler’s appointment in place of the departed Roberto De Zerbi, owner-chairman Tony Bloom told The Athletic: “Our long-term vision of (regular finishes in the Premier League’s) top 10 doesn’t change, but this season we have a great chance of qualifying for Europe.”
The table is tight and there is a long way to go — 66 points are still to play for — but the slump in form needs to stop soon if Brighton are to be serious challengers for Europe again after finishing sixth under De Zerbi in 2022-23 and qualifying for the Europa League.
So, what has gone wrong and how soon can it be fixed?
Injuries take their toll
The absence of key players continues to undermine Hurzeler’s search for consistency.
Experienced right-back Joel Veltman has been badly missed. The 32-year-old former Netherlands international has been out since the 2-1 win at Bournemouth in November, a period coinciding with the drop-off in form.
The first of Ismaila Sarr’s two goals for Palace, a far-post header in the 33rd minute, came from a deep cross delivered by Tyrick Mitchell down Brighton’s right flank. That was where Tariq Lamptey and Yankuba Minteh lacked understanding, the latter starting for the first time in 10 games after a muscle injury. Lamptey was substituted at half-time.
Hurzeler was also without Danny Welbeck to lead the attack for the second time in three games. The side’s top scorer, with six goals, is still not 100 per cent after an ankle injury sustained against Southampton. Midfielder Matt O’Riley was missing too from the matchday squad with a minor injury.
Dunk is not the colossus of old
Is age and fitness finally catching up to Lewis Dunk?
The long-serving skipper and six-time England international has been a colossal figure for Brighton, but he has struggled since returning from five matches out of the starting line-up in October and November with a calf issue.
Hurzeler was reluctant to leave out Jan Paul van Hecke or Igor Julio after they had performed well, so he shoe-horned Dunk, 33, back into the side at Fulham by switching from a back four to a back five.
Brazilian Igor has made way for Dunk in the starting line-up in the last two matches. Against Palace, Sarr blindsided Dunk with his movement at the far post for his first goal. He also reacted quicker than Brighton’s captain to a loose ball to clinch Palace’s victory in the 82nd minute after Dunk was involved in an aerial challenge with substitute Eddie Nketiah.
Conceding cheap goals
Brighton continue to let in goals at an alarming rate. They have leaked at least two goals in 10 of the last 14 games across all competitions. Palace became the third team during this period to score three or four goals against them (along with Fulham, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and Chelsea in the Premier League).
It is not just down to the back four (or five). During his post-match press conference, Hurzeler said: “With defending, people look at the defenders, but you have to analyse a bit more. It’s all together. The second goal (by Sarr) was an individual mistake in our build-up. So, it’s not always the mistake from defenders.”
Problems from set pieces
Trevoh Chalobah’s scrappy opening goal for Palace, driven into the net from close range following a melee inside the six-yard box, was the second in three games Brighton have conceded from a corner. Fulham also scored untidily from an in-swinging corner to go 2-1 up in the 79th minute at Craven Cottage.
On that occasion, the ball went in off the back of O’Riley, with Dunk claiming in vain that he had been fouled. That is the only goal scored by Fulham from a set play (excluding penalties) this season — the worst record in the Premier League.
Hurzeler brought goalkeeper coach and set-piece specialist Marco Knoop with him from St Pauli in the summer, but there is still room for improvement in that area.
According to Opta, five sides have conceded fewer than Brighton’s four goals from set pieces. They include Liverpool (three) while Chelsea, Palace, Everton and Newcastle United have also let in four.
At the attacking end of the pitch, only four teams have scored fewer than Brighton’s four goals (the same number as Ipswich Town, Leicester and Manchester City).
Not clinical enough
Hurzeler has consistently spoken about the importance of using momentum in games when a team has it.
Brighton had momentum at the start of the second half. They put Palace under pressure, with Paraguay forward Julio Enciso brought on in place of Lamptey, but they could not find a way past an inspired Dean Henderson in the visitors’ goal.
Hurzeler used eight attacking players over the match. He started with a strong quartet of Minteh, Georginio Rutter, Joao Pedro and Kaoru Mitoma. Brajan Gruda, Evan Ferguson and Simon Adingra were all introduced in a triple change in the 72nd minute — but the 87th-minute consolation goal came from a corner deflected into his own net by Palace captain Marc Guehi.
So, what now?
New signing Diego Gomez was introduced to the crowd before kick-off. The Paraguay international midfielder from Inter Miami will officially join up with international team-mate Enciso and the rest of the squad in January.
Hurzeler’s side face games away to West Ham United and Aston Villa, with a visit from Brentford sandwiched in between, over the Christmas period.
They need to turn this bad run around to avoid slipping into the bottom half of the table and further from the congested race for European places.
(Top photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
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