Brighton confirmed the appointment of Fabian Hurzeler on Saturday following the departure of Roberto De Zerbi. In this article, INMR explores the tactical set up Hurzeler used to bring St Pauli success, and how this will apply to the Seagulls.
Embed from Getty ImagesHurzeler’s key principles
Hurzeler’s three most important principles are controlling the game, maintaining a high backline and creating numerical advantages. At St. Pauli, his players changed the tempo with a few quick passes after holding the ball for a while in order to beat the opposition’s press.
Maintaining a high back line helps in the counter-press because they get closer to the centre which makes it difficult for the opposition to do anything with the ball when they gain possession.
St. Pauli’s ability to create numerical advantages against the opposition’s defensive line has been a huge reason for their success in the 2. Bundesliga last season. For example, Hürzeler’s team often create numerical advantages by getting the ball to the winger and creating opportunities from 2v1 situations on the wings. Brighton’s left sided pair Kaoru Mitoma and Pervis Estupinan could both be back at top form in this system when fully fit.
Embed from Getty ImagesBuild up play
In a low build up, Fabian Hürzeler usually sets his team up in a 4-2-2-2 formation. His approach is inspired by Roberto De Zerbi, who Hurzeler has been previously compared to before the Italian’s exit.
They use two dropping number tens and two wingers, looking to attract opposition players, opening up the space in behind. If the opposition push up on the number-tens, the space behind them opens up, giving the winger a 1v1 against the fullback. If they do not push up, a numerical superiority gets created in the midfield, allowing St. Pauli to play through the press.
Embed from Getty ImagesIn the high build-up, Hürzeler has most frequently used 3-2-5 formation and his side will always have many players in the center to create more options and less space between the players. Hürzeler likes this because he prioritises playing through the middle. He needs one player high and wide to pull apart the backline while the rest create numerical advantages in the midfield areas.
This builds good conditions to control the tempo, as the opposition have less time to press when players are closer together and making quick passes. During Hürzeler’s first full season with St Pauli, his side averaged 57.4 per cent possession, the second-highest figure in Germany’s second division.
Embed from Getty ImagesDefensive Approach
Fabian Hürzeler emphasises aggressive play without the ball, his team often go man-to-man whilst pressing intensely which leads to numerous goals from turnovers.
In a lower press, Brighton will adopt a 5-2-3 formation, maintaining a mid-block to stay compact; they will be narrow and force the opposition wide. When not pressing at all, they shift to a 5-4-1, with the wingers in the front three dropping into the midfield line.
Hürzeler implements a high backline to minimise space between defense and midfield. Consistent offside lines and side-on body positioning allows defenders track runs more effectively and not get caught out by pacey forwards. St. Pauli ranked eighth in the 2. Bundesliga for passes per defensive action last season, indicating selective high pressing.
Embed from Getty ImagesOffensive approach
Hürzeler’s St. Pauli excelled at keeping possession, recording the second-most passes in the 2. Bundesliga in 2023/24. The 31-year-old likes creating central overloads during attacks, but also using the wide areas when necessary to catch out opponents.
When the ball is out wide, St. Pauli’s midfielders make delayed central runs, leading to them having the most shots from outside the penalty area in the league last season. This approach benefitted Marcel Hartel at St.Pauli, he scored 17 league goals last season. At Brighton, Pascal Gross would likely follow suit and provide plenty from these moves with both goals and assists.
In terms of linking the player with the striker, Hurzeler encourages his number nine to drop deep in the build-up, facilitating various attacking options. This movement allows the striker to pass to attacking midfielders in pockets of space or make quick passes to wingers. If a center-back follows the dropping striker, it creates space behind for midfielders to exploit with their runs, something that Mitoma is prone to doing when Joao Pedro drops deep.
Hürzeler encourages his players to find attacking midfielders in these pockets, leveraging their numerical superiority in midfield. They look for line-breaking passes from the defence to these midfielders, who then drive at the defense. St. Pauli attackers and midfielders constantly make runs behind the defense, preventing their opponents from playing a high backline.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe final third
Hürzeler’s teams excel at exploiting the space between opposition center-backs and fullbacks, particularly through underlapping runs from attacking midfielders. The wingers draw the defenders wide, creating gaps for midfielders to run into and either cross the ball or challenge defenders one-on-one. This tactic disrupts the opposition’s defensive shape and opens up attacking opportunities.
Hürzeler also ensures that multiple players are positioned outside the box to capitalise on cut-backs, maintaining pressure on the defense. His approach often involves creating numerical overloads in the box, forcing defenders to make difficult decisions and leaving attackers unmarked.
Conclusion
Overall, Hürzeler seems to be an ideal fit for Brighton as his approach is similar De Zerbi’s. Hürzeler’s blend of defensive solidity and creativity in attack promises to elevate Brighton’s play style, bringing new and exciting ideas to the South coast.
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