From tactical rigidity to European qualification, discover how the German head coach survived a near-sacking to instill elite discipline and collective resilience within a maturing Albion squad.
It has taken time and a lot of turns, but...
It seems like things are finally falling into place for Fabian Hurzeler at Brighton. Whilst we've seen signs of his philosophy, ideas, and what he's capable of in his opening two seasons at Brighton, more often than not, fans were left feeling underwhelmed and disappointed, both with performances and results.
All we asked for is consistency. So, what has the 33-year-old's Brighton story looked like so far?
A new experience, a new challenge!
Fabian came to the Premier League with only 18 months or so of managerial experience, so there was a lot to learn, a lot to get wrong, and a lot to force himself to evolve and adapt to not just English football, a new culture and environment, but also the Premier League.
After major ups and downs in his first season, Albion finished 8th. Some good highs, but some major lows, such as the 7-0 defeat away to Nottingham Forest. 8th felt like something to build on and a transition to the next season, where we felt we could really compete with a good summer window...
Highs, lows, boos, and Europe
In my opinion, Brighton didn't properly address the positions that we needed in the summer 2025 transfer window. Similar to the previous season, a system that left massive spaces to be exploited.
A thin squad, despite spending over 200 million that summer. As always, December was rough. Hurzeler has created his very own 'December curse' where we can't win in this month for love nor money.
This poor form carried into the new year and up to February, when the German was on the very brink of losing his job. However, he regrouped, regathered, and fought on, beating Brentford the following week.
And the winning didn't stop there, going on a run of seven wins in 10 matches, finishing the season extremely well, and propelling Brighton into Europe for the first time since 2023/24, despite a very disappointing loss on the final day to Manchester United.
What is 'The Hurzeler way'?
The German has spoken in depth about 'controllables' in the past, counter-pressing reactions to be more specific. The Athletic reported that in training, Hurzeler is very strong with this principle.
If one player does not react well to losing the ball, the players are instructed to do everything again, and hence the team is punished. Setting standards. Defining principles.
Yes, we lost some quality and talent, but we have also become stronger as a collective. A squad of 26 players fully brought in to Hurzeler's principles, and we are seeing just what this means this season.
The Arsenal game really suggested that the squad is well coached, together, and aligned.
