Premier League table: How long can Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. stay in the mix?
Brighton & Hove Albion have started their Premier League season fantastically. They have defeated Everton 3-0, beat Manchester United 2-1 before drawing 1-1 with Arsenal. This has left the Seagulls third in the division going into the international break where they are only behind Manchester City and Liverpool.
Of course, we are only three games into the campaign but the signs look promising for Brighton to be in for a great season.
The Seagulls are known for their impressive recruitment and are often regarded as one of the best-run clubs in English soccer. Players, managers and staff all leave Brighton but they are replaced seamlessly under the guidance of their owner Tony Bloom.
Brighton recruited well last summer signing the likes of Georgino Rutter, Yankubah Minteh and Mats Wieffer. However, the club's best recruit could be their young manager Fabian Hurzeler.
Premier League table
TEAM | RECORD | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
Man City | 3-0-0 | 9 |
Liverpool | 3-0-0 | 9 |
Brighton | 2-1-0 | 7 |
Arsenal | 2-1-0 | 7 |
Newcastle | 2-1-0 | 7 |
Brentford | 2-0-1 | 6 |
Aston Villa | 2-0-1 | 6 |
Bournemouth | 1-2-0 | 5 |
Nottingham Forest | 1-2-0 | 5 |
Tottenham | 1-1-1 | 4 |
Chelsea | 1-1-1 | 4 |
Fulham | 1-1-1 | 4 |
West Ham | 1-0-2 | 3 |
Man United | 1-0-2 | 3 |
Leicester | 0-1-2 | 1 |
Crystal Palace | 0-1-2 | 1 |
Ipswich | 0-1-2 | 1 |
Wolves | 0-1-2 | 1 |
Southampton | 0-0-3 | 0 |
Everton | 0-0-3 | 0 |
Can Fabian Hurzeler take the Seagulls to new heights?
At just 31 years old, Fabian Hurzeler is younger than many of Brighton's players — including their captain Lewis Dunk. Hurzeler ended his playing career at the age of 23 and went straight into coaching, so he now has eight years of experience as a manager.
He started his coaching career at Pipinsried before taking over at St. Pauli in Bundesliga 2. The Seagulls rarely get their appointments wrong. There was outrage when Chris Hughton was replaced by Graham Potter but the former Swansea coach was a great fit for Brighton.
Potter moved on to Chelsea and Roberto De Zerbi came in and guided them into the Europa League. De Zerbi left at the end of last season to become the manager of Marseille. The Seagulls do not have European soccer this campaign which will be an advantage to Hurzeler in his first season in England.
There will be an expectation that Brighton will fade away this campaign after their impressive start. They do not have as much squad depth as bigger clubs in the Premier League. The season is long and grueling with injuries inevitably playing a part in how a team gets on.
One blemish to Brighton's season so far was the injury to Matt O'Riley on his debut against Crawley Town in the EFL Cup — which the Seagulls won 4-0. Brighton already has problems with injuries with O'Riley joining James Milner, Brajan Gruda, Solly March, Mats Wieffer, Joel Veltman and Ferdi Kadioglu on the treatment table.
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