Fabian Hurzeler: "Playing well is not just about style"

“Fabian who?” That was likely the question on most Brighton fans' minds the morning their new coach was announced. Indeed, Fabian Hurzeler, the former manager of FC St Pauli, whom he led to promotion into the Bundesliga, was not among the names most often mentioned to replace Roberto De Zerbi, who was on his way to a new role at Marseille. It’s quite a challenge when you consider that the young German coach, only 31, had to follow the Italian, who was highly regarded in the stands of the Falmer Stadium (American Express Stadium) after two successful seasons (6th, then 11th). There’s no doubt that the draw at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal (1-1), coupled with an unexpected 3rd place position (after three matchdays), significantly boosted the reputation of a coach whose convictions are expressed in simple, direct terms: "I like my team to be dominant and to keep possession. Even if we’re leading 2-1 with three minutes left, I won’t let my players stop playing. I can yell from the sidelines, telling them to take the game into the opponent’s half by playing out from the back. I can’t help it." It’s a philosophy and a playing style that some label as utopian, but the young coach defends it with a mix of pragmatism and consistency: "You can’t win people over by constantly changing your approach to achieving team performance. After that, you need results to convince the players of our way of playing. But I truly believe that the key lies in coherence and continuity."

"The activities, exercises, and different scenarios we run in training are all aimed at promoting density and intensity."

These words carry particular weight considering the results achieved by the underdogs from the south in the first three matches. Convincing victories away at Everton (0-3) and at home against Manchester United (1-0), plus a solid draw at Arsenal's home ground, have showcased technical and tactical control usually reserved for the top Premier League squads. Is it enough to challenge the likes of Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool over the long haul? 

Is this at the expense of the idea of beautiful play? No, answers the coach bluntly to the second question: "Playing well while keeping possession is not just about style. There’s a tactical aspect to it. For instance, maintaining possession gradually wears down the opponent, so that when they finally get the ball, they’re more likely to lose it quickly..." In the German coach’s view, soccer takes on the appearance of physical theories, where efficiency often goes hand in hand with elegance: "Our guiding principle is to stay close to each other, to facilitate cooperation and decision-making in tight spaces, but also to be more effective when we lose the ball to counter the opposition." This approach is reinforced by a training methodology that emphasizes intensity during sessions: "The activities, exercises, and different scenarios we run in training are all aimed at promoting density and intensity while always staying close to the realities of the game. Doing a rondo with 4 vs 4, without direction, doesn’t interest me. Everything we do in training should be transferable to the game. That’s one of my core principles."

"So far, we've benefited from the element of surprise. But..."

Buoyed by their team’s performances, fans are starting to dream of a Leicester-like season (the surprise Premier League champions of 2015-2016), while recognizing the difficulty of the road ahead. No stranger to surprise seasons, the coach who promoted St Pauli to the Bundesliga remains level-headed: "So far, we've benefited from the element of surprise. But it's clear that our future opponents will likely study our game model more closely. We will need to regularly adjust a few minor things to keep generating unpredictability. Finding new solutions to play out from the back against opponents who press high with man-to-man marking - a current trend in European soccer - or, conversely, who sit deep and wait for us. In my opinion, it's in the ability to handle both scenarios that a coach's work should be judged."