Since Fabian Hurzeler joined Brighton in June 2024 he has been receiving plaudits for his style of play. Taking the principles laid down from Roberto De Zerbi’s tenure at the club and then personalising it to suit his principles.
What are Hurzeler’s Principles?
Fabian Hürzeler’s Brighton side is built around an aggressive, possession-based philosophy that combines positional structure with intensity, flexibility and vertical attacking football. His approach is heavily influenced by modern German coaching principles, with an emphasis on controlling games through the ball, dominating space and dictating the tempo. Brighton look to build attacks patiently from the back, draw opponents out of their defensive shape and then exploit the spaces created through quick combinations and intelligent movement. Hürzeler also demands considerable tactical intelligence from his players, encouraging positional rotations, fluid movement and the ability to adapt to different phases of play. The overall philosophy is proactive: Brighton want to take the initiative, control territory and play on the front foot, rather than simply react to their opponents.
Out of Possession
Out of possession, Hürzeler demands an aggressive, high-intensity approach, with the team looking to win the ball back as quickly and as high up the pitch as possible. Brighton typically operate with a high defensive line, keeping the distances between their defence, midfield and forwards compact to limit the opposition’s space. Their pressing is proactive and often man-oriented, with forwards leading the press and midfielders aggressively stepping out to close passing options and prevent opponents from playing through the centre. A key feature is the counter-press: immediately after losing possession, players swarm the ball carrier and surrounding passing options to force mistakes and regain control. When the high press is bypassed, Brighton can drop into a more compact mid-block, maintaining defensive organisation while waiting for opportunities to press again.
In Possession
In possession, Brighton aim to build from the goalkeeper and centre-backs, showing confidence and composure when playing through opposition pressure. Hürzeler encourages positional rotations, with full-backs, midfielders and wingers interchanging positions to create numerical advantages and open passing lanes. Rather than relying solely on patient possession, Brighton are encouraged to play forward quickly when opportunities arise, using vertical passes, combinations between the lines and direct balls to exploit space behind the opposition defence. A particularly important principle is committing numbers into the attacking line, with midfielders making late runs into the penalty area and wide players either stretching the pitch or moving inside to create overloads. The objective is to create dynamic attacking situations, isolate players in one-versus-one scenarios and get multiple players into dangerous goalscoring positions.
How does this look in Football Manager 2027?
After 19 games I am top of the table, Babis Kostoulas has 16 goals, Yasin Ayari has 6 goals and 5 Assists, Pascal GroB has 4 goals 10 assists.
They are the key players in the system.
Tactical Effectiveness
This new system for Football Manager 2027 is underpinned by 4 core areas: Tactical Understanding, Player Ability, Player Buy In and Next Match Information. A really good pre-season is absolutely vital in getting this up and then building a training programme around the tactical style. You will soon see the tactic play out better in the match engine
Download Link
Click here to download – LINK
This won’t be plug and play. You will need to play players who suit the system, Give them a training program that suits the style. Feel free to download and let us know how you got on.
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