Fabian Hurzeler must be wishing for a return to the winter break he regularly experienced in Germany, when he was in charge of St Pauli.
Saturday’s 2-1 defeat away against Arsenal means Brighton & Hove Albion have not won in 11 matches in December under the head coach across two Premier League seasons.
The league leaders’ narrow winning margin flattered Brighton. Hurzeler’s side were not at the races for an hour, as they trailed to Martin Odegaard’s 14th-minute strike, then an own goal from Georginio Rutter after 52 minutes.
Diego Gomez pulled a goal back 12 minutes later to turn the game into a contest, but Brighton, down to 12th without a win in five matches, are heading in the wrong direction for their European qualification aspirations.
The Athletic analyses the main talking points from the clash at the Emirates Stadium before a last chance to correct that December flaw in the final fixture of the year at West Ham United on Tuesday.
Did Hurzeler pick the wrong team?
Two substitutions at half-time suggested the head coach was keen to correct his starting XI, although the problem with the first-half performance was more about mindset than tactics.
Hurzeler made three changes and changed the system to a back three following the pre-Christmas 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland. Skipper Lewis Dunk returned from a one-match ban. Dunk’s normal centre-back partner, Jan Paul van Hecke, was restored after illness. Gomez, also ruled out against Sunderland through suspension, started on the left flank.
Brighton played in the first half like a team waiting and expecting to be beaten. Bukayo Saka was too hot to handle for left-back Maxim De Cuyper and left-sided centre-back Dunk. The pre-occupation with Saka led to Odegaard having too much time and space on the edge of the area to fire Arsenal ahead.
Bukayo Saka drew much of Brighton’s attention (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Hurzeler introduced Mats Wieffer at right-back for the second half in place of De Cuyper, switching Ferdi Kadioglu to his primary role as a left-back to deal with Saka. Hurzeler also brought on Yankuba Minteh on the right wing in place of the ineffective Brajan Gruda.
They could have sunk without trace when Rutter, under no pressure at the near post from a Declan Rice corner, back-headed into his own net, but Hurzeler’s rejigged team played with far greater intent and energy after the changes.
Slow starts
It is hard enough picking up points away from home in the Premier League without continuously giving yourselves a mountain to climb. For the seventh time in nine away games, Brighton fell behind at the Emirates within the opening 24 minutes.
It is no coincidence that avoiding an early deficit has led to two of the best away results — a 0-0 draw at rivals Crystal Palace and a 2-0 victory at Nottingham Forest.
Gomez transformed the pattern of the game and the mood inside the stadium by firing in the rebound when Yasin Ayari’s angled shot rebounded off the far post. The versatile Paraguay international is now Brighton’s top scorer across all competitions with eight goals, one ahead of Danny Welbeck, with six coming away from home.
Diego Gomez gave Brighton some hope (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
By the end of the match, there were five attackers on the pitch, with Welbeck returning from the bench after a back injury against one of his former clubs, along with teenagers Charalampos Kostoulas and Tommy Watson in the quest for an unlikely point.
Arsenal were hanging on in a game they should have won at a canter, but why did it take Brighton an hour to wake up?
Minteh mystery
Winger Kaoru Mitoma is one of Brighton’s main attacking threats, but ankle trouble has disrupted his season. He made his return as a substitute against Liverpool and Sunderland this month, but he was back on the sidelines against Arsenal due to illness.
In Mitoma’s absence, Minteh has been burdened with providing the magic from out wide, showing his importance to the team through his contributions in and out of possession. He has tailed off recently, but it was still surprising that Hurzeler chose not to select him in the starting line-up.
Minteh’s pace and endeavour made a difference when he came on for the second half. It took one of the best saves of the season to deny Minteh an equaliser, with David Raya at full stretch as he threw out a right hand to stop a curling shot after Rutter’s clever lay-off.
David Raya’s world-class save after Minteh’s shot (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Being without Mitoma was unlucky, but starting without Minteh as well was a wasted opportunity to fully test Arsenal’s makeshift back four down the sides. They did not have a regular right-back available, so Rice filled in. An injury to Riccardo Calafiori during the warm-up meant Myles Lewis-Skelly was promoted from the bench on the left.
Tough away debut for Coppola
Hurzeler stuck with Diego Coppola to form a back three, handing the Italian his first away appearance on the right of the back three. Leandro Trossard posed problems in the first half and Coppola picked up his second caution in successive games for a foul on the former Brighton forward early in the second half.
Coppola and Olivier Boscagli were signed in the summer window to strengthen the depth and competition for places in the centre of defence. Further amendments may be necessary in that department next summer.
Dunk, 34, has triggered a one-year extension to his contract by reaching 15 league starts in the recent 2-0 defeat at Liverpool. Van Hecke is under contract until June 27, but there are no signs yet of the ambitious Dutchman agreeing a new deal.
Brighton’s Italian defender Diego Coppola picked up minutes (Adrian Dennis/AFP via Getty Images)
Coppola wants more minutes to enhance his chances of making Italy’s squad if they qualify for next year’s World Cup via the European play-offs in March.
Boscagli, demoted to the bench following his second league start against Sunderland, has been frustrated by a lack of game time. An area of the squad that felt secure for the future a few months ago is suddenly potentially in a state of flux.
