Fabian Hurzeler will not derive any satisfaction from becoming the first Premier League manager in 26 years to draw 10 of his first 20 games.
Two of those stalemates for his Brighton & Hove Albion side have been against Arsenal; Saturday’s 1-1 result at home a repeat of August’s outcome at the Emirates Stadium.
Coming from behind to hold the nearest pursuers to table-topping Liverpool is a good effort, but try telling that to the 31-year-old German who has joined John Lyall (1992; Ipswich), John Deehan (1994; Norwich) and Egil Olsen (1999; Wimbledon) as the only managers to draw half of their first 20 games in the Premier League. Lyall went on to draw 11.
“I have the same feeling, disappointing feeling,” Hurzeler said after the sixth deadlock in a winless sequence of eight matches. “It’s a longing inside of me, a desire to win games, especially after performances where you think you might have been the winner.
“It’s even more disappointing, but in the end it’s my responsibility and I have to change it, together with my staff. I try to give the players the right idea to make the turnaround.”
Hurzeler has turned Brighton into the division’s draw specialists. Traditional rivals Crystal Palace have the next-highest number with nine, followed by Fulham and Everton on eight, then Arsenal with seven. Such form is blunting his side’s hopes of qualifying for Europe for the second time in three years, having finished sixth under former head coach Roberto De Zerbi in 2022-23.
So, what can Hurzeler do to get back to winning ways? After all, six of his first 10 games in charge in all competitions were victories.
Producing a 90-minute performance would be a start. Hurzeler’s team are patchy. In the first half against Arsenal they were passive and lacked intensity. After the break, they pressed and attacked with far more vigour.
They have to halt a pattern of conceding soft goals. Arsenal’s early breakthrough by Ethan Nwaneri stemmed from left-back Pervis Estupinan being exposed, while Bart Verbruggen should also have saved the 17-year-old’s shot.
Brighton also need to be more clinical when they are in the ascendency. They had chances to add to Joao Pedro’s equalising penalty, awarded after the versatile Brazilian forward was caught inside the box by William Saliba following a mistimed collision of heads.
Joao Pedro was much more of a threat after the break (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Hurzeler remarked following the 2-2 draw at Aston Villa five days prior to Arsenal’s visit that there were lessons to be learnt from every draw. What did the latest one teach him?
“We have to play consistently to our identity, we have to be able to press intense for 90 minutes,” Hurzeler told The Athletic. “We have to be able to control the game for 90 minutes and not only 60 or 45 minutes, or maybe 20, then 20 not and 20 again. That’s a big thing and we need to be more precise in the final third.
“So, when I see the chances (we had) these are normally goals when you make the right decision, when you stay calm and you focus on your touch, on your team-mate.
“That’s something we have to improve. We have to give the players the right support, the right advice. The last thing is the high pressure, how we concede the goal. It’s a principle that has happened to us now three or four times where we weren’t clean enough, how to defend a give-and-go from the opponent and where we lost the man in our back. That is something we have to discuss and we have to improve.
“It’s not a thing about old or young, it’s just a thing where our players need to get mature and get the skills to know what to do to win a Premier League game. That’s our responsibility, especially my responsibility as coach, to give them the right advice, support and environment to improve.”
Hurzeler needs to get his best players on the pitch, particularly against high-quality opposition. Record signing Georginio Rutter, Yankuba Minteh and Kaoru Mitoma, made a difference when they came on in a triple change at 2-1 down at Villa after they had been rested to the substitutes’ bench. It was surprising that they didn’t start against Arsenal.
Brajan Gruda and Simon Adingra looked lightweight in wide areas in the first half and playing Matt O’Riley as the No 10 did not work. He was too deep to link effectively with Joao Pedro.
At least Hurzeler acted quickly to correct the initial selections made, bringing on Rutter for O’Riley and Minteh on the right for Gruda at half-time, then Mitoma on the left at the expense of Adingra in the 62nd minute. Leaving Mitoma out again was especially puzzling, given that Arsenal had midfielder Thomas Partey filling in at right-back.
Joao Pedro was a different proposition in the second half. Rutter provided forward-thinking physicality, Minteh was erratic but penetrative and Mitoma’s speed and directness asked more questions of Partey.
Every month of Hurzeler’s reign has been punctuated by draws. The last two, against Arsenal and Villa, can be marked as good draws against teams in the top half of the table. Others, such as Southampton at home (1-1), Wolves at home (2-2) from 2-0 up until the 88th minute and Leicester away (2-2) from 2-0 ahead until the 86th minute were bad draws. A 0-0 at home to promoted Ipswich in September falls into the same wasteful category.
Hurzeler’s side could really do with a win in the next league fixture at Ipswich on January 16 to avoid losing further ground in the congested race for European places.
(Top Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)
