'Push, push, push' – Brighton's massive injuries explained and why Fabian Hurzeler admits blame after £200m spend

Fabian Hurzeler's midfield has been a problem this season. Brighton invested £200m last summer but Ferdi Kadioglu, Mats Wieffer and Matt O'Riley – a combined total of around £75m – have spent more time with the medical team than the first team.

Wieffer struggled with muscular issues at the start of the season and then, just as he returned to fitness, sustained a knee injury in the 1-1 draw against West Ham last December.

The Netherlands international is back once again and has made two late substitute appearances against Southampton and Bournemouth and could be in contention for Sunday's FA Cup fifth-round clash at Newcastle.

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Kadioglu, who arrived injured from Fenerbahçe, showed brief glimpses of his huge potential and then picked up a "minor toe injury" in the 2-1 loss at Liverpool last November. Minor rapidly turned to major and the Turkey international underwent surgery but still isn't training and may not be seen again this season.

"He's still not on the pitch, so it will take time," Hurzeler said this week to Sussex World.

O’Riley arrived on the back of a prolific season at Celtic but was clattered just minutes into his debut during a Carabao Cup win against Crawley Town. The Denmark international missed the next 10 matches and – aside from his late winner against Manchester City – has struggled to make an impact since.

All three are hugely talented players and were signed to replace established Premier League performers Pascal Gross and Billy Gilmour, who left last summer for Borussia Dortmund and Naples respectively.

Academy graduate Jack Hinshelwood also missed a chunk of the season with a knee issue, which has seen Carlos Baleba and Yasin Ayari run the midfield. Baleba and Ayari have performed well but it is their first season of playing regular football in the most physically demanding league in the world. Credit to Hurzeler for getting the best from them.

James Milner (hamstring), Lewis Dunk (calf/rib), Adam Webster Webster (hamstring), Igor Julio (hamstring) and Solly March (knee) have also missed vast swathes of the season.

After the 7-0 defeat at Nottingham Forest earlier this month – a match Baleba and Ayari both missed – Hurzeler claimed he didn't have a midfielder capable of playing 90 minutes.

The head coach has never complained about the injuries and clearly the best is still to come from Wieffer, O'Riley and Kadioglu but it has been a major problem.

£25m arrival Brajan Gruda has also struggled and from the summer spending, only Yankuba Minteh and Georginio Rutter have started their Brighton careers well.

"Everyone would understand if I say it’s a frustrating situation,” said Hurzeler to Sussex World. “I always try to be the leader and try to not talk about the problems, I try to find more solutions to them and that’s what we do.

"It's very frustrating for the individual players. It's our responsibility to be there for them, to give them the support they need to do the best rehab.

“Together with my medical staff, together with the physios, with the sports science, they try to give the best for the players.

"Hopefully the new players come back quickly and adapt quickly to the intensity of the Premier League.”

Hurzeler admitted in pre-season that injuries will likely occur as players adapt and get used to his intense methods and style of play.

Since the painful defeat at the City Ground, the message has been intensity, more intensity and a bit more intensity thrown in for good measure. “It’s intense,” said Welbeck on Tuesday when asked how recent training sessions have been.

The message is loud and clear but how does Hurzeler balance that fine line of intensity and injury risk during training? “Good question,” replied the 32-year-old to Sussex World.

"Because exactly that's what we try to manage every day. You want to push the players, you want to train with the high standards, with the intensity you demand so that they are ready to compete.

"But, you have to take care of their mental freshness. If you always push, push, push – in the end, they get mentally tired.

“You have to take care that they always have a mental freshness. You have to find a good balance, between how hard or how intense you want to train or this over-training, where we might risk injury.

“I have experts on my staff. I have a really good head of performance who gives me the right advice. We work close together and we try to find the right balance.”

A combination of bad luck and players adapting to Hurzeler’s demands created a problem but one that finally looks to be easing. Despite the problems, the Seagulls are currently just one point away from a fifth-placed Champions League spot.

O’Riley and Wieffer are now back to ease the midfield burden and the impressive £12m January arrival of Diego Gomez adds further bite. The cavalry has arrived in the nick of time to push for Europe once more.

For your next Albion read: 'Very doubtful' – Brighton star could miss FA Cup clash at Newcastle United after Fabian Hurzeler update