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Brighton are 12th in the Premier League after Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.
The Seagulls are winless in their last five and have gained two points from a possible 15. (Three defeats to Liverpool, Aston Villa and Arsenal and draws to West Ham and Sunderland).
After the loss to the Gunners, Athletic reporter Adam Crafton posted: “Brighton have become a bit meh under Hurzeler?” It’s a simple statement/question that clearly struck a nerve with the Brighton fanbase as Hurzeler has divided opinion since his arrival from St Pauli in the summer of 2024.
Last season the German guided Brighton to a respectable eighth place, narrowly missing out on a place in Europe. This term the Seagulls have impressed in patches but inconsistent performances have seen them slip to 12th. They are however comfortably clear of a relegation battle and remain just two points behind eighth placed Brentford and above the likes of Newcastle and Tottenham.
At times this season it has felt a little flat and perhaps “meh” at the Amex - the 1-1 draw against West Ham springs to mind - but it’s easy and risky to take midtable in the Premier League for granted, as the likes of Leicester and Southampton found.
Here’s 11 reasons why Brighton are 'meh' under Fabian Hurzeler...
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9. Recruitment
Brighton have spent since Hurzeler arrived - almost £300m - but have they invested well? Mats Wieffer (patchy), Yankuba Minteh (inconsistent) Georginio (hit and miss), Ferdi Kadioglu mostly injured), Brajan Gruda (poor so far), Matt O'Riley (loaned out), Maxim De Cuyper (not bad), Stefanos Tzimas and Charalampos Kostoulas (future). Diego Gomez has been the exception but overall, not great to be honest and there's been little to help Hurzeler this season. Jason Ayto has work to do! | Getty Images
10. Silverware at the Palace
There's no doubt the improvement of Palace under Glasner and seeing them lift the FA Cup has irritated many Brighton fans. An away draw at Arsenal in the Carabao earlier this season didn't help Albion's quest for silverware. They have also been drawn away at Man United in the third round of the FA Cup. | Getty Images
11. Dropped points
Dropping points against the "lesser teams" remains a problem. The recent run of five games without a win sums up Brighton under Potter, De Zerbi and now Hurzeler. Losing to Liverpool, Villa and Arsenal is no disgrace but Brighton were poor against West Ham and Sunderland. A win against West Ham would have taken them fourth! | Getty Images
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12. Promoted teams
It's also hard to ignore the fact that the promoted teams are much better this term and the league is stronger. Aside from Arsenal and Man City (who Brighton beat), all teams are going to drop points regularly this season. Brighton remain in a decent spot and a few shrewd moves in January should make them less "meh". | Getty Images