Brighton can't afford repeat of last season's late drop-off
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Cast your mind back 12 months to the March 2025 international break. Brighton sat one point off fifth and with a winnable home FA Cup quarter-final against Nottingham Forest to play. Tony Bloom was interviewed at the Cheltenham Festival and said April and May represented potentially the biggest two months in Albion history.
Brighton lost on penalties to Forest in their first game back in action. The next four Premier League matches resulted in three defeats and a solitary draw against soon-to-be relegated Leicester City, rescued only by two Joao Pedro penalties.
That run of form returning from a two-week break dashed European dreams and hopes of Wembley. And it is not the only time it has happened under Fabian Hurzeler.
There was a three-match winless run in the Premier League in September 2024. Two months later, Brighton beat Bournemouth after the November break but then went eight games without another victory, including six draws.
This season, two successive wins after the November break were followed by a run of one league win in 13.
For whatever reason, Hurzeler and the Albion sometimes struggle to put together results when they have lost the momentum which comes through competitive football.
Which is somewhat of a concern given Brighton last kicked a ball three weeks ago thanks to the latest round of March internationals and no Premier League matches taking place on this season's FA Cup quarter-final weekend.
Four wins from five matches, with the only defeat in that sequence being a controversial reversal to champions elect Arsenal, has turned the Seagulls' campaign around from when Hurzeler was told by the home crowd he was getting sacked in the morning after the shambolic 1-0 loss to Crystal Palace.
A turnaround good enough to have sparked talk of Europe. But a top-eight finish will only happen if Hurzeler can stop Brighton turning to jelly after three weeks' inaction. The Albion can ill afford one victory from their remaining matches if Hurzeler is to secure an unlikely return to continental competition.
Find more from Scott McCarthy at We Are Brighton
