The sun was glistening on the waves as they crashed onto the pebbled beach in Brighton. The Rockwater restaurant on the seafront is popular among visitors and locals, and is already a place one of the area’s newest residents, Fabian Hurzeler, knows well.
It was the location for my recent sit-down interview with the new Brighton manager for TNT Sports. As the 31-year-old German walked in, he had a big smile on his face and greeted the staff with hugs, knowing them by name. He’s clearly made himself at home on the south coast very quickly.
The same can be said for how seamlessly he has fitted in at Brighton & Hove Albion. Owner Tony Bloom has publicly sung his praises – saying that despite the success of Roberto De Zerbi, Hurzeler has bought into the club’s philosophy more than the Italian.
That smooth transition has been evident on the pitch too, with Brighton going into the first international break unbeaten in league and cup, including Premier League fixtures against Manchester United and Arsenal.
There was a fear among Albion supporters that this could be a tricky campaign, with an unknown manager taking charge holding no previous experience of top-flight football. Hurzeler is quickly dispelling those concerns – it surprised fans how quickly he managed to hit the ground running.
After all, it was a huge step in his career. Hurzeler had only been the head coach of a professional team for 18 months, and that was in Germany’s second tier. He admitted himself that he never thought he would be managing in the Premier League at this stage, but it was always the target at some point in his ambitious career.
He laughed at being nicknamed ‘the new Jurgen Klopp’, but wasn’t shy in expressing his admiration for the former Liverpool boss. He’s also been inspired by Thomas Tuchel and Pep Guardiola, but insists on having his own unique style and way of doing things, relishing managing at the top level.
Hurzeler was born in 1993, six months after the Premier League began. With that youthfulness, he does bring a refreshing vibrancy to the managerial role, yet he speaks with authority and is clearly a very articulate communicator.
He balances out that freshness by leaning on the knowledge and experience of his senior players at Brighton – Lewis Dunk, James Milner and Danny Welbeck. He’s also gained instant respect from his squad due to his humble yet demanding approach, in his desire to bring the club success.
His training sessions are intense, although intelligently there haven’t been too many drastic changes from the tactical setup he inherited, making it simpler for him to be able to introduce some of his new ideas.
Speaking before the 2-1 home win over Manchester United, he talked about players being people first and foremost, and that he wanted his players’ primary focus to be on improving themselves as people every day.
In his eyes, the same applies to the football. Focus on the process, and if you can execute it and get it right, the results will follow as a consequence.
The former St Pauli boss doesn’t view his role as manager as a job, but rather his passion. He’s shown in a very short period of time that he’s forensic in his analysis and attention to detail. He’s been brave with substitutions and executed a risk and reward tactic to change things, in order to try to win every game. Early on, it certainly paid off.
After a strong start, expectations have quickly soared, with Brighton fans now dreaming of getting back into Europe for just the second time ever. The club have significantly backed Hurzeler, spending almost £200m in the most recent transfer window, making them the second biggest spenders in the world this summer.
Albion fans will know all too well not to get too carried away, based on experience, but with an exciting new coach, big investment in the squad and a good start to the season, it’s definitely been a pretty good time to be a Seagulls supporter.
Brighton are often described as a model club, praised for their recruitment in finding hidden gems. All the early signs are there that they’ve done it yet again – this time with their manager.
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