Fabian Hurzeler, head coach of Brighton & Hove Albion, gets ready for a crucial fixture. This Sunday, his team hosts Everton at Hill Dickinson Stadium. Kick-off for the game is 2 PM and it will be shown live on Sky Sports. This match is an inflection point in Hurzeler’s story as he takes charge to become the youngest permanent head coach in Premier League history.
Hurzeler has only been at the helm a little over a year. From day one, he focused on creating a positive team culture. He strongly insists that success on the football field isn’t about players making plays, but it’s about the team making plays. It’s not a one-man band at Brighton – we’re a family, he says, pointing to his collective ambition that has long defined the club.
At just 23 years old, Hurzeler made the bold decision to leave behind a modest playing career to pursue coaching full-time. His initial formative experiences were in the amateur game, where he started his coaching journey with Pipinsried in Germany’s fifth division. During these preparing years he went on to coach Germany’s U18 to U20 teams. Simultaneously, he accepted duties with St. Pauli in Bundesliga 2.
Hurzeler’s debut season in England proved difficult for the German midfielder, suffering four yellow cards and a red card early in his campaign. It was filled with spectacular, incredible moments. One such moment was a sublime 3-0 opening day victory that started his Premier League adventure.
During the course of the summer, Hurzeler embarked on a reverse fact-finding mission on the American side, touring professional clubs in additional sports. This experience was invaluable for him to soak up insights that he’s looking forward to bringing back and introducing to his own team. He had a lot of family time, weekending in the mountains of Bavaria in Southern Germany. This restorative retreat served as an important time for his own self-discovery and development.
Hurzeler understands his age can be a perfect asset when it comes to establishing relationships with players. To that end he aims to always speak their language, find common ground and connect on a human level. As he likes to say, “I’m not a quarterback, but I understand the language,” stressing how his approach builds trust and transparency.
For him, the advice of veterans represents the top-most tier of what he treasures most. Milner, Danny Welbeck and Lewis Dunk add a massive amount of experience to the team. I take advantage of the time clubs spend training under my roof, and I listen to my senior players telling what has worked through their hundreds of games. To ignore their experiences would be foolish and foolishly naïve. This spirit of shared exploration is at the heart of Collins’ coaching philosophy.
Hurzeler reflects on areas for self-improvement. He acknowledges moments when he has not served as the best role model on the sidelines and recognizes the need to manage his emotions more effectively during matches. At times, I can say that I was not an exemplary role model. I have to do a better job of being a bad guy on the sidelines,” he confesses.
As he looks forward to the new test against Everton he would be happy at making use of new blood to spice things up in the side. One of those players is 18-year-old Greek striker Charalampos Kostoulas, a player Hurzeler is excited to work with. He knows that bringing through young players is essential to the Birds ability to soar in the future.
Looking forward to each day, Hurzeler maintains a positive outlook and an unwavering commitment to improvement. “Every day I stand up and have this feeling, ‘Let’s go. Let’s try to be better today.’” He approaches coaching with an obsession, something that takes fire and sacrifice, and he’s all in on that belief.
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