Hurzeler: Brighton Must Not Be Seen as ‘Small’, Should Embrace Ambition

Fabian Hurzeler has stated that Brighton must not “hide” or “be afraid of anyone” as the team aims to build upon its recent advancements. Under former manager Roberto de Zerbi, the club, known as The Seagulls, secured a sixth-place finish in the Premier League during the 2022-23 season and advanced to the last 16 of the Europa League in the previous season. Currently in eighth place, Brighton has accumulated 16 points from its initial 10 Premier League matches under Hurzeler’s leadership. Hurzeler expressed that he was “happy” with most of his squad’s displays in these games, though he acknowledged that they had the potential to earn additional points. This past Sunday, Albion maintained a lead against league leaders Liverpool for nearly an hour, and earlier in the current season, they secured points against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Ahead of Saturday’s match against champions Manchester City, Hurzeler stated, “I don’t want to be recognised or seen as the small Brighton and Hove Albion.” He continued, “It’s more that we have a big potential in our squad. We have a great leadership in the club. We have great staff members. We have a good atmosphere, a good environment.” Hurzeler emphasized, “In football, it’s about achieving things and that’s why we shouldn’t hide. We shouldn’t be afraid of anyone.” He further added, “We should play with self-confidence and we should also put pressure on ourselves because in the end we want to achieve something and if we don’t achieve the victories in the games we have failed and that’s the truth. That’s why we have to also be hard on ourselves and demand the best from ourselves.” Concluding his remarks, he noted, “These games, like City and Liverpool, are the best challenges for us.”