Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hurzeler on playing Liverpool twice in a week after a 3-2 midweek loss to them in the EFL Cup and an update on injuries
Amex training ground, Lancing, UK
Amex training ground, Lancing, UK
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00:00Is there anyone else that wasn't involved last night who could come back on Saturday?
00:13We have to see how Luis is today. We have to see how Sumadu Rielly is back in training.
00:21He will be ready for a potential player in the squad.
00:30Some players will be back on the pitch and I think with Ferdi it's not that bad.
00:35So hopefully he will also be an option for Saturday.
00:40Schalke is definitely back for the Liverpool game?
00:43Yeah, we have to see. He's coming back after a long injury,
00:47if he will be an option. But he's back in training, yeah.
00:50It's been great to see Matt O'Reilly in the pictures that the club have posted on social
00:53media. So how has his recovery been and what sort of shape is he in now,
00:57obviously in contention to play for some part on Saturday? That sounds like good news.
01:02Yeah, in a good shape. So mentally in a very strong shape. He's really looking forward
01:08to making his really first debut. I think the first one was really short,
01:12so he expected the next one to be a little bit longer.
01:16He worked hard in the rehab. He's a very good character. He's
01:21part of the group even when he was injured and he's gotten integrated even when he was
01:25injured and that shows his great character. That's why we're really happy for him that
01:29it's going that fast. Also thanks for the medical team, for all the physios who worked really hard
01:35with him to make this comeback so quick. Now we're really looking forward to have him on the pitch.
01:42Has it taken you by surprise quite how quickly he has come back?
01:46We didn't expect it that quickly, but like I said, we have great experts in our medical team,
01:53great experts with our physios. They do great work. They're very passionate in helping the
02:02players and I think that's so important to bring the players back as quick as possible
02:07and also to have a positive energy to make them also positive in their rehab.
02:14That's why I'm very thankful for all of them and also the intrinsic motivation from the
02:19mutual players. Like I said before, Matt was on the first day positive. I think a lot of players,
02:24when they suffer this injury, they need some time, but immediately after surgery he had a very,
02:32very positive mindset and if you have this then these comebacks are possible.
02:37Brian Gruder was another summer signing who had a frustrating start with the injury.
02:42He seemed to really grow into the game last night. Did he need a match like that?
02:51Yeah, I think he needed this match also to prove himself that he's
02:58able to play on this level, that his body is resilient. I think he played against
03:04one of the best left full-backs in the world. It was a tough challenge for him,
03:09but there were good things, bad things, but it's normal for a young lad like him.
03:16Now it's about him to get his body more and more adapted to the intensity of the Premier League,
03:21to also bring more of his skills on the pitch. I was happy how he defended. I was happy that he
03:29had some good actions in offensive possession. It was a good start for him.
03:36Despite the disappointment of last night's results,
03:38there were still plenty of positives that I'm sure you can take forward to
03:42Saturday. You talked about being more ruthless. Can you train that? Is that a mindset thing?
03:48It's just like being ruthless. It's just to avoid injury mistakes because in the end,
03:57Liverpool punished them. When we look at the first goal, it's not even a chance for them.
04:03It's just a shot from outside, from an unbelievable angle. We were not able to
04:10keep Gakko on the right foot, for example, so when you know that he's trying to go inside,
04:16so avoid that he can go on his right foot. The same is not only out of possession,
04:23only in possession. We had plenty of chances where we just needed the last consequence,
04:31we just needed the last focus to score. I think in both directions, in possession,
04:37out of possession, they're the small details that make the difference in the end.
04:42These small details, you need to have them on your side and you need to do them in a perfect
04:48way. Otherwise, you won't have a chance against a top team like Liverpool. That's what I meant
04:54with being ruthless. I can't say to a player, you must score, because of course he wants to score.
05:01In the end, it's about trying to demand or put pressure on the players
05:07by the things they can control. They can't control if they want to score or not because
05:11I think every player wants to score. That's why focus more on the small details. Focus,
05:16for example, on the first touch before you have a chance. Focus on how you defend the
05:22one-against-one, on which side you lead the opponent. These are things where we have to
05:26be more ruthless. Have you been to Anfield before?
05:29I was standing in front of the stadium, but the stadium was empty. I saw it. It's also near from
05:40the Evert von Gunzenberg. I saw it from outside and some videos from inside.
05:46It's on a lot of bucket lists for fans to go to watch a match there. For you to manage there,
05:52is that a bit of a...
05:54It's not on my bucket list as a fan to watch a game there,
05:58but it will be a great experience for sure. I heard great things about that.
06:08Me as a German, of course, I followed the period of you and Klopp having great experiences,
06:14great memories at Anfield. Of course, I'm really looking forward to the atmosphere there.
06:24You've had the vast majority of your games at the Amex so far,
06:29I think only four of 12 away. What have you learned of your team on the road so far?
06:38That we can beat every opponent away at home.
06:44That you need to be very good in details if you want to win a game.
06:47That it's the same. We had momentum on our side but we didn't use it.
06:55That's so important in the Premier League. If you have chances, if you create a lot of chances,
07:01then you have to use this momentum. If you don't do it, then the opponent will punish it.
07:07I think that's a big learning. Of course, in the end, what I always say is we have to
07:14be better in defending the goal. We concede against three goals, that's too much in the
07:19Premier League. You can't win games like this. That's why it's about a mixture between
07:26using the momentum at the right time, being defensively better, but also have the
07:30self-confidence and the self-belief that you can beat every opponent in this league.
07:36Do you want your team to play the same at home and away?
07:44Of course, in general, we want to keep the same style, but at some point you have to make
07:50adjustments and small adaptations. When you play, for example, against Newcastle United,
07:57where you know it's an intense game, where they come man-to-man, then you can't play the same
08:04game like you play at home against Wolverhampton, for example. You always need to make small
08:09adjustments, but in general, of course, we try to focus on our style of play. We try to be
08:16dominant in possession and we will do this away and at home.
08:20How different are Liverpool at Anfield compared to when they play away?
08:26We will see it on Saturday. I didn't experience how they are at Anfield,
08:32but of course, when you play at home and you have these amount of fans as a supporter behind
08:39you, it pushes you. That's why you can't say it will be the same game. It will be a different
08:45game with a different atmosphere. In the end, it's again a game, 11 against 11, with one ball
08:54and a referee. Then we try again to focus on our style of play.
09:01If you only try to defend against teams like this, you don't have a chance. You have to
09:06be good in possession. I think we saw it yesterday when we had our face in possession,
09:12when we created the chances, they also had to suffer. It's the same for us.
09:17If we defend well and they create chances, we have to suffer. It's always a balance in the game.
09:23There will be lots of different players on both teams at the weekend from last night,
09:28but how much of your prep has essentially been done already because systems will be so similar?
09:36Yes, of course you can only do small adjustments because the preparation time is not long.
09:45We need to, and that's the most important, to recover the players as quickly as possible so
09:51that they are mentally ready for the game. I think the intensity at Anfield is something special and
09:57there you have to be also mentally on a high level. I think that's very important to not
10:02only focus on the tactical things, but also trying to get the player in the best shape
10:09mentally and physically and then I'm sure we are ready for that game.
10:13When you're trying to change and drum in to the players about the small details that you
10:18want to change and things, I remember your predecessor Roberto Deservey said that one
10:25of the things he loved about this group, he only tended to have to say things once and they took
10:29it on board and then they did it out on the training pitch and on the pitch. Are you finding
10:34this is an intelligent group who pick up things in your methods quickly or are you having to
10:39hammer things home over and over again?
10:42No, absolutely. That's the group. They're learning quick, they're very intelligent.
10:47Of course there are always differences in learning styles. Some players they learn
10:52if you show them more in analysis, some players learn more if you do these things with them
10:58outside on the pitch. So you really have to focus also and understand the player, how do they learn?
11:04Because every person in life learns differently and I experience it on my own when I learn a
11:09language. I learn more if I do it practically every day instead of just in theory one hour a
11:16week for example. So there are always different things to experience and to learn from the players
11:25In the end I talk a lot about habits and that's the thing we have to understand. To create habits
11:34is something that takes time and that's a process. So for example last season they played a lot
11:42very man-oriented and man-to-man pressing and now they have these habits. But to get different
11:48habits it takes a little bit of time and you have to show them this not only one time, several times,
11:55but I completely can confirm that this group is very intelligent and they have the will to learn
12:02a lot of things and they have the will to improve and I think that's very special.
12:07Apologies, I'll just ask about one player that you may have spoken about last night,
12:11but Simon Odinga obviously came back after a month and played the full 90,
12:17how impressed were you with his return and what can he offer going forward?
12:24We're very glad that he's back. He gives us another opportunity
12:28on the wing, another option as a wing. So not only as a starter but also as a substitution and
12:36yesterday he proved again that he can have a great value for this team.
12:42Also defensively I think he was quite good. He was very sharp against the ball and personal tools.
12:51Yes, he deserved that goal because he worked hard for this goal and he made a good game.
12:56So I'm glad for him that he's back in the squad now and is ready to play.
13:02Is it too soon for him to start again at the weekend after a month out or is he in contention?
13:07No, it's not too soon. So I think he can be ready.
13:14Fabian, next up the top two in the Premier League. How much are you relishing this opportunity
13:19and how much do you hope to learn about your team taking on both Manchester City and Liverpool?
13:26Yes, I think now we can also prove ourselves how far we are as a team and
13:32how ready we are to really challenge the establishment. In the end that's where we
13:41want to go. In the end also that's ambition from the club and that's also now our responsibility
13:48to show it individually and also as a group if we are ready or not.
13:54Yesterday there were a lot of moments where we were ready. Yesterday there were a lot of
13:58moments where I think they felt that we were there but we didn't make the last step. So we
14:06had to learn from this yesterday and hopefully we can improve our performance on Saturday so
14:14then we might have a chance to win this game.
14:18Nottingham Forest have won this season so it just goes to show they're not
14:21impenetrable at home at Anfield.
14:24Yes, I saw this game. I think of course Nottingham have a different style of play but
14:31they were at the early stage of the season so during this period Liverpool improved a lot and
14:39they have now several patterns to play, different positionings, very fluid in the game and of course
14:46they have at the moment two, three players in the offensive row. They are quite in good shape so
14:55it will be very important that we defend together and don't give them a lot of one-against-one
15:00situations.
15:01Paul mentioned about adjustments that you make and your strategy is always the same but do you
15:06have to make some adjustments for individuals like whether it's Mo Salah, Darwin Nunes,
15:11whoever it may be?
15:12Of course you have to make small adjustments but on the other side we also need this
15:22self-confidence and self-belief in our players that they are able to defend one-against-one.
15:27So I'm quite confident that Pervis can defend a one-against-one against Salah or Diaz. I'm
15:34confident that Joel, Thi or Ferdi as a full-back can defend a one-against-one against
15:40Gakpo. You also need to have this self-confidence and self-belief in your
15:45group and you as a player because that will happen in one-against-one situations during
15:49a game. If you don't have this self-belief and you don't have the self-confidence that
15:54I can beat him in a one-against-one situation then you can't go there and win the game.
16:00So I think the self-belief is so important in games like this but of course
16:05in general we want to avoid this one-against-one situation because the chance for them might be
16:10higher if they have a lot of them. So yeah, doing small adjustments but having the self-confidence
16:17and this self-esteem to go there and say, yeah, I'm ready to defend also one-against-one.