Brighton boss Fabian Hürzeler has been very complimentary of five Manchester United stars who he feels could be a significant threat to his Brighton side on Saturday afternoon.
After a memorable 2-1 win over Liverpool at Anfield last weekend, Manchester United are back at Old Trafford for a testing clash with Brighton & Hove Albion.
Rúben Amorim’s season has been turbulent, with defeats to Brentford and Grimsby Town fuelling uncertainty over his long-term future in charge.
Still, that victory on Merseyside — United’s first at Anfield in almost a decade and their second league win on the bounce — has lifted spirits and renewed confidence among supporters.
However, Brighton have often been a thorn in United’s side, and Amorim will be determined to set the record straight after Fabian Hürzler’s team claimed a 3-1 win at Old Trafford last season.
Hürzeler wary of United’s attacking talent
While United have not been the most prolific goal scorers so far this season, Amorim’s men have netted two goals against Sunderland and a further two against Brighton, with their chance creation having improved in recent weeks.
Brighton boss Hürzeler held his press conference ahead of the fixture on Friday morning and was asked where he sees United as a threat to his side and what he’s made of Amorim’s improvements of late.
“I think they play a more direct, more vertical style,” the German said.
“More long balls, trying to target [Bryan] Mbeumo and [Benjamin] Šeško, going with a lot of players for the second ball, trying to win it and then continue on the wing with [Amad] Diallo or with [Diogo] Dalot on the other side, trying to attack the box with a lot of deep runs.
Hürzeler continued, explaining that he feels five United players in particular could change the game at any point with a single moment of brilliance.
“Of course, they have really good individual quality in their team — they can change the game with one action, with one moment of momentum.
“Every one of their players, especially in the front, can decide the game with a single action, no matter if it’s [Bruno] Fernandes, Mbeumo, [Mason] Mount, Šeško, [Matheus] Cunha — you can mention all of them. All of their players have great individual quality, and that’s why they’re always a danger for us.
“So we have to stay alive for 90 minutes, no matter if we’re in possession, out of possession, or even on set pieces, for or against, because they can score in any phase of the game.
“That’s what makes them so dangerous — this change of game, very vertical, very straightforward, with a lot of deep runs, a lot of players attacking the box, and also being a threat from set pieces.”
Amorim has tactical selection headache vs Brighton
The five Hürzeler mentioned in Mbeumo, Šeško, Cunha, Mount, and Fernandes are no doubt among the club’s most dangerous players. Still, it’s unlikely that all five will be able to start at Old Trafford on Saturday afternoon.
Against Liverpool, Šeško was surprisingly dropped, with Cunha playing up front. The Brazilian executed his tactical instructions perfectly, letting the Anfield home team win the long balls but picking up the second balls well and retaining possession that way.
But, against Brighton, the visitors are likely to play a much lower block, which would not suit Cunha playing up front once again, despite his brilliant performance last weekend. Instead, this leans toward Šeško returning to the starting XI.
It would be very harsh to drop Cunha from the side entirely after his tireless work against Liverpool, which may mean that Mount instead drops to the bench with the Brazilian starting on the left flank.
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