Fabian Hurzeler Discusses Player Injuries, Momentum, and Upcoming Bournemouth Match

Brighton manager Fabian Hurzeler addressed reporters ahead of Saturday’s Premier League fixture against Bournemouth, scheduled for a 15:00 GMT kick-off. During his press conference, he provided updates on player availability. Jack Hinshelwood’s knee issue, which Hurzeler described as “nothing serious”, will be evaluated prior to the Bournemouth game. Lewis Dunk is participating in training and “is close” to making a comeback, while Ferdi Kadioglu is improbable to play against the Cherries. Regarding the squad’s return from international commitments, Hurzeler stated: “I’m always happy when the squad is back. We now have a long period when we can work with the team and individual players and I’m really looking forward to it. We had a lot of positive things, now it’s very important the players come back in a good mood and good shape, and remember quickly what our identity and culture is, because they will have experienced different philosophies [with their national teams].” Addressing the challenge of sustaining the positive momentum gained from recent results and performances before the international interval, he commented: “You always have to work to get momentum. It’s always a new game and no matter if there’s a break between games or not, the game starts from zero. You have to go into the game and do the things you can influence to the maximum.” He further elaborated: “You can’t say ‘we won against Manchester City and now the momentum will keep going’, it’s about fighting for momentum. It’s a new game, a different challenge and a really big challenge because Bournemouth are one of the strongest teams at the moment.” Regarding the upcoming opponent, Bournemouth, Hurzeler remarked: “They can play very intense, they run a lot, they have individual quality, they are in good shape. For me at the moment, they’re one of the best teams in the league.” Yankuba Minteh’s participation for Gambia during the international break, marking his return to play, expands Hurzeler’s offensive choices. When questioned if this presented a “difficult decision”, the Brighton manager responded: “It’s part of the job to make unpopular decisions. Not every player will be happy but decisions are always made for the success of the club. The players need to deserve to play.” He also stated: “We had players who played before, players have come back from injury and that’s really important for the competition. I’m really looking forward to every player being back because that produces a hunger of wanting to play and competing against team-mates. With that, the team will grow.”