With five games left, it is all to play for in the hunt for European football. If predicted circumstances come about, up to 10 English teams could be playing in Europe next season. One of these teams could be Fabian Hurzeler’s Brighton. They currently lie in 10th place with 48 points, nine points off Aston Villa in seventh. At one point, they were a lot closer but have fallen off in recent weeks. Here are five reasons Brighton may miss out on European football.
Five Reasons Why Brighton May Not Get European Football
Injuries to key players
Brighton has been hit by many injuries throughout this Premier League campaign. They have lost the most days to injury of any Premier League club, a few hundred days ahead of Tottenham in second.
Read More: Why Key Injury Sparked Brighton’s Poor Form
A big reason for this could be due to Hurzeler’s tactics. He wants his players to press and run a lot. This in turn leads to more injuries. Under the German, it has increased from 9.3 to 11.7 injuries every 1000 minutes of action. This has forced Hurzeler to use players out of position and rely on people who would not normally start. The recent defensive crisis Brighton have suffered has led to them failing to win in five games and losing sight of European football for next season.
Summer Signings Not Making The Biggest Impact
Brighton had the highest net spend after the 2024 summer transfer window. A lot was invested in young talent who came from foreign leagues. These players need time to get used to the Premier League. Unfortunately, a lot of these players have had to suffer with injuries, affecting their time in England.
Read More: Brighton Transfers Update From £200 Million Summer Window
Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda, Matt O’Riley, Ferdi Kadioglu and Georginio Rutter have had their seasons interrupted by injuries since coming in. It has reduced how much they can improve the team and how many minutes they feature in. This comes as a big blow for Hurzeler, who has struggled to get the best out of many of these players, limiting their impact.
Teams are Improving Around Them
The Seagulls finished last season in 11th with 48 points. This season they have 48 points with five games lest, yet are 10th. This would be incredibly frustrating for a Brighton fan, with them only needing 60 points to claim European football last term. For this season, it is predicted to be at least 65-70 points needed to get an automatic position.
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A big part of this is due to rival teams improving. Nottingham Forest, Brentford, Chelsea, Newcastle United, Bournemouth and Fulham have more points than last campaign. Only Manchester City and Aston Villa have fewer points than last season from the teams that are competing for the final European places.
Defensive Woes
Only five teams have conceded fewer goals than Brighton in the league this season, with three of them being the newly promoted teams. This has held them back and cost them many games. Errors leading to goals have played a part, with 13 of their goals conceded this season coming down to individual errors. This comes with the risk of playing from out of the back and having a high line.
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Injuries have also played a part in possibly missing out on European football. Igor Julio, Lewis Dunk, James Milner, Tariq Lamptey, Pervis Estupinan, Joel Veltman, Kadioglu and Adam Webster have all seen extended periods on the sidelines. Midfielders such as Jack Hinshelwood and Carlos Baleba have had to slot into defence, and in recent weeks, Eiran Joe Cashin has been the only senior defender on the bench. The 23-year-old has played just over 20 minutes this season. If the defence was better, Brighton would be in a higher position.
Fabian Hurzeler
Since joining in 2022, Roberto De Zerbi has raised the expectations of the club. He led the Seagulls to the Europa League and an FA Cup semi-final in his time in Sussex. This is something that Hurzeler has yet to achieve.
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The 32-year-old is still learning on the job with it only being his second professional managerial reign. His tactics may have cost his team in some games, and the transfers who have not worked out can also be blamed on him to an extent. His high-intensity play may have also added to the long injury list. Hurzeler is destined for a great managerial career, but the German needs to improve if he wants to bring European football back to Brighton.
