Fabian Hürzeler is not surprised by Brighton’s dream start. After the 2-1 win over Manchester United, he spoke about a player he could learn a lot from – and a fan song
A few weeks ago, Fabian Hürzeler probably could not have imagined that he would be talking about a “deserved victory” against Manchester United after the second Premier League matchday. But it’s not out of the question.
“No”, he says he is not surprised by his six-point start with Brighton and how quickly he has convinced the players of his ideas. “It feels like a family, not like a soccer club. Everyone is fully involved,” said the youngest coach in Premier League history after his successful home debut on Saturday afternoon. He is benefiting from the foundations that have been laid over the past three years: “That’s why I haven’t changed much.”
In a game in which Brighton lost control at times but regained it in the closing stages, Joao Pedro scored the acclaimed 2:1 winning goal in stoppage time. “That was emotional,” said Hürzeler: ”That’s why I love this job. You can’t buy these emotions and you can’t get them anywhere else. “
Hürzeler: “I’m realistic, never euphoric ”
And it’s also important to enjoy these moments. But: “I’m realistic, never euphoric. Because if you’re euphoric, that means you lose focus on the realistic things.” Of course, this does not apply to the fans. “We are top of the league”, they chanted constantly against Man United, even if that was no longer true a few hours later. “I didn’t understand what they were singing,” Hürzeler laughed at the press conference afterwards.
The 31-year-old had particularly warm words for the 1:0 goalscorer: Danny Welbeck, already 33 himself, scored as he did in the 3-0 opening win at Everton, although he is actually only a substitute for Evan Ferguson (19), who has been injured for months, and has just gained new competition in Georginio Rutter from Leeds. “Danny is a role model,” says Hürzeler. “I can learn from him because he has the experience that I didn’t have as a player.”
The next highlight awaits Brighton next Saturday at Arsenal, who have also got off to a perfect start. Before that, however, Hürzeler’s team must prove that they are also capable of winning must-wins: On Tuesday, they will host third-division side Crawley Town in the second round of the League Cup
