Brighton and Hove Albion manager Fabian Hurzeler on their impressive start to the season and the challenge of facing Arsenal in the Premier League
Amex Training Ground, Lancing, UK
Amex Training Ground, Lancing, UK
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00:00What's the latest position with Mateo Reidy, what's his prognosis?
00:09It's like we expected, a bad injury. He needs a surgery on his ankle. I can't say how long
00:19we expect him to be out. We have to look how the rehab will go. But of course it's a tough
00:27one for us but we try to support him the best way we can. We try to get him as fast
00:33as possible on the pitch and let's hope he will be back soon.
00:38It's terrible luck for Mateo and the club of course. How is he? Have you spoken to him
00:43since Tuesday night?
00:44I had a small chat with him yesterday. Of course it's not the best situation, he's very
00:51very disappointed. But he's a good character and he's a very positive guy. He looks immediately
00:58in the future and says he will be back soon and he'll come back stronger. That's a very
01:04positive thing, what I like. This attitude is very important, that you also stay mentally
01:08strong in tough moments like this because you can't change it in the end. That's why
01:15I think he will come back stronger.
01:19You publicly said you want Billy Gilmour to stay and he'll be at the club. Does this
01:25have any input or is this a factor on him? Is he now definitely going to stay because
01:32of the injury to Mateo Reilly?
01:36All the decisions we do, we discuss them together internally with the chairman, Tony, Paul,
01:44with David. All the decisions we do, we do them together. We discuss sometimes of course
01:52but there are always arguments for both sides. Then we always decide what's best for the
01:58club and then we make the decisions and then the public will see it.
02:05In terms of the summer spending at Brighton, nearly £200m spent, unprecedented for Brighton.
02:13How does that make you feel personally, that you feel backed and how important is it in
02:18terms of the club fulfilling its ambitions for this season?
02:24I feel grateful, I feel thankful for Tony for his decision because it shows the ambition
02:32from the club, it shows that we want to make the next step together, that we tried to build
02:40a foundation that was built in the last recent years but also tried to improve in some ways.
02:48That's what I really like because I'm also a very ambitious guy and for me it's the right
02:54sign and the right moment. Now hopefully we can achieve something big together.
03:01Will we expect to see quite a few outgoings in the next 24 hours?
03:13There will be outgoings but again these are all decisions that are internal and when they
03:20get to the public then we will let you know as soon as possible.
03:24Does the injury to Matt O'Reilly impact how you'll now use Ferdi Kadioglu?
03:36That's a good question. That's something that is positive from Ferdi, he's very flexible,
03:43he can play a lot of positions. Now we have to see because he couldn't train with the
03:50team a lot. So we have to see today, tomorrow, how he gets integrated. Maybe he will be an
03:56option in the squad, maybe not. We just have to look together at the situation and then
04:03we'll make a decision.
04:05So he could be available on Saturday?
04:07It is an opportunity, hopefully yes.
04:11On Saturday Arsenal are still unbeaten, what do you make of their start, albeit not many
04:16games yet?
04:19One of the best teams in the world at the moment. I think they don't have a lot of weaknesses.
04:26They have in all their positions individual quality, they have solutions for all phases
04:32of the game. They're good in set-pieces, they're good out of possession, good in possession.
04:38We need a good day, we need a very good individual performance but also a great togetherness
04:44on the pitch. Now it's up to us, we try to confirm what we did the first two games.
04:51That is not like a surprise, it should be a confirmation for us to go there and make
04:57a good game and we go there to win. I think my squad has the potential but of course we
05:04have a lot of respect for Arsenal because for me at the moment, one of the best teams
05:11in the world.
05:13In terms of specific Arsenal players that could cause you a problem, are there any that
05:16you're pinpointing?
05:19I could mention every individual player from them. Of course, Udegaard has something special,
05:28Havertz, I like the way he plays. He's for me one of the best German players we have.
05:37He's complete in all his acting and behaviour on the pitch. Saka can decide a game with
05:44one situation, they have Martinelli, they have Trouza on the other side. They have a
05:49very good defensive player, they have Reis, a good box-to-box player. So I can mention
05:55all their names but in the end it's a team sport and hopefully we can present there as
06:03a good team because we have to go there and we also have to make sure we can suffer together
06:09because there will be phases where we have to suffer, there will be phases where we have
06:13to defend together but I also want that we bring our style of play there and that we
06:19have also our situations in possession because that's very important, not only to defend
06:26there.
06:28When you first arrived at the club, did you feel like you had arrived at the first international
06:32break with a chance to still be unbeaten?
06:35When I arrived here I didn't think so much about the game or how the situation would
06:43be after Arsenal. I think it's a daily business, this job. You have to try to be the best version
06:50of yourself every day and thinking step for step. We had now a great start. I think for
06:57me the win against Crawley was very important, it was in the League Cup. It was not an easy
07:01game but that's our thinking, step for step, trying to make the next step, trying to continue
07:07in the process and now we have a big challenge ahead of us. We are looking forward and let's
07:12see what happens on Sunday.
07:17Fabian, Pervis Estupinjan has been such a big part of the football club over the last
07:21couple of years. How good was it to see him back after such a long lay-off and what does
07:25that mean for you going forward?
07:29Another great opportunity for us. When he's in his best shape, he's one of the best left-backs
07:36in the Premier League. He's full of energy, he's full of power and now we have to reintegrate
07:45him as quickly as possible because he had a long injury and after long injuries to come
07:49back is not easy. He missed a lot of content, a lot of technical things in the pre-season
07:55so it's important now to get for him a mix between video sessions and then the pitch
08:01sessions and that's why I think that he will be a great player for us again but we shouldn't
08:11put pressure on him because after a long injury the players need time to adapt and that will
08:17be now important.
08:18So he's another defensive option. A lot of the signings have been attacking players during
08:22this summer window but how happy are you? It's been a great start defensively but how
08:27happy are you with the defensive set-up and the personnel you have at the club going into
08:32the post-transfer window period?
08:37I think let's look at the situation with Adam Webster. For me, a role model of leading,
08:45a role model of how to be the best version every day, how he trains, how he behaves,
08:51how he's there for his team-mates. For me it's a shame to put him on the bench because
08:56it's an unbelievable character, an unbelievable player and that's why you see the situation
09:00also in the defence is quite good. I don't want to put a player like him on the bench
09:05but at the moment there are Lewis and JP and we have a lot of options also in the defence
09:11and I think against Crawley.
09:14We also kept a clean sheet. Of course in some situations we were a little bit lucky, we
09:18have to be honest, but in the end there are also great options in the last line. We added
09:24now Ferdi who can play left full-back, right full-back. We have Iguo, Adam, we have still
09:33Derek Lamptey. We have a lot of options in the defensive line and that's why I'm also
09:38happy with this part of the squad.
09:41Welcome return for Bart Verbruggen as well. Does that give you a good dilemma but Jason
09:47Steele has started the season very well as well.
09:51For me it's clear that we will have a number one in this season. There will be clear roles
09:58for them and I will be very straight with this communication. I will be very honest
10:06with them. That's important for me that they know their roles in the team, not only in
10:10the goalkeeper position but also in the other positions. Every player knows his role in
10:15the team. I'm very happy to have both of them. Jason made some really good games for us in
10:24the pre-season, especially in Everton. Here in the Amex against Manchester he had a great
10:32impact on the squad and on the pitch. That's why I'm really happy to have him and as well
10:37Bart. I think Bart, especially in the Euro, how good he is, which potential he has. I
10:46think he can get one of the best goalkeepers in the world. If he keeps going, if he keeps
10:52improving, together with my goalkeeper coaches, then he has a great future.
10:58When you look at all the sides in the Premier League,
11:03you mentioned togetherness and all their individuals,
11:06but are they one of the most complete teams and squads in the Premier League?
11:11At the moment I would say yes. For me it's a role model what Ateta did there. I think
11:19start was also not so easy but the club stayed calm. What is nowadays not so normal anymore and
11:27then you see what you can achieve. I think what I see from outside, they are so good in the details,
11:35they have an answer for everything. They take care of their set-pieces, of their throw-ins,
11:41of their kick-offs. They have clear patterns in possessions, they have clear patterns out
11:48of possessions. They will have an answer and a solution on the pitch for everything. That's
11:53something that comes through hard work, what comes when you focus on the process.
11:58So I think Ateta and his team are a role model for everyone. I also follow their way,
12:07what they did in the last years, because it's something special.
12:12Of course I can also learn a lot from this.
12:16How has Ateta transformed Arsenal from a mid-table mediocrity to a winning machine?
12:28Unfortunately I'm not there, so I would love to see some insights.
12:33I was not there the last years when they worked together.
12:37But for me what I see, how they developed in the last month, that's something very special.
12:49You can only develop like this if you are focusing on the details, if you trust the process,
12:55if you really work hard. I think also how they improve the players individually,
12:59you see small elements in their games that are helping the individual players.
13:06That's something I really like to look at.
13:10How they transform it to this machine, I don't know.
13:15But I think sometimes there are no secrets in football, they are just out working and
13:22just trying to improve every day. That's also my thinking. I'm really looking forward to
13:29compete with Arsenal, to compete with their coaching staff, because it will be a great
13:36challenge for us. We have a lot of respect, but again we go there to win the game.
13:42We go there to show our style of play, even when we play away.