Tuesday, December 17, 2024

Hurzeler on Rutter, O’Reilly’s recovery and Gross’ return

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Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler has been speaking to the media before Sunday’s Premier League game against Tottenham Hotspur (kick-off 16:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

  • Hurzeler confirmed that Brajan Gruda and Solly March “trained really good” this week and will be available for selection, as will James Milner and Joel Veltman. However, Matt O’Reilly, Joao Pedro and Jan Paul van Hecke remain out through injury.

  • He said he takes full responsibility for the defeat at Chelsea, adding he needs to “learn from it and show a reaction”.

  • On Georginio Rutter, who opened his account for the club: “I think he also showed before his goal his good performances. He doesn’t need goals to believe in himself. He’s had a great impact and a great start at his new club. He’s a very humble person and tries to work hard. His shape when he arrived wasn’t the best but now through training sessions he is getting fitter and fitter and we are very happy to have him.”

  • When asked how O’Reilly’s recovery is going: “He’s very positive and is making small steps forward, I think that’s very important when you’ve had a bad injury. He’s sticking to the plan after surgery and we are looking forward to seeing him back on the pitch.”

  • On Pascal Gross returning for his send-off on Sunday: “I would enjoy seeing him more if he was in the Seagulls colours. He’s a great character and a great player. You can already see his impact at Borussia Dortmund and I’m very happy to welcome him back to his old home. All the players are looking forward to seeing him.”

  • Hurzeler said he’s a coach that likes his teams to be “dominant” with possession and the current statistics show that they are able to “compete with every team” in the Premier League. He did say though it is important that his team finds a “balance” in some games.

Follow all of Friday’s Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day’s football news

Listen to full commentary of Brighton v Tottenham from 16:30 BST on Sunday on BBC Radio 5 Live

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[BBC]

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