Sunderland face Brighton and Hove Albion at the Stadium of Light on Saturday and after an international break that’s felt like it lasted for an eternity, we’re all chomping at the bit to get back in there and support the Lads.
We face a Brighton side that’s lost just one out of its first five games, beating the likes of Manchester United and dismantling champions Arsenal 3-0 at the AMEX Stadium — and they’re also the top scorers in the league with sixteen efforts finding the back of the net so far
this campaign.
The Seagulls have won and lost one each on the road, conceding four and scoring eight.
‘The Brighton way’
So, how does Fabian Hürzeler have his team set up on the pitch?
Brighton make use of a controlled, possession-heavy build-up style that relies on baiting opposition pressure and manipulating central space.
Defenders and deep-lying midfielders often pause with the ball or place their studs on it to tempt opposing forwards and midfielders into stepping out of position. By drawing opponents in close, they create ‘artificial transitions’ and open up passing lanes, allowing them to zip short, crisp vertical passes through the opponent’s midfield structure.
Under Hürzeler, central midfielders and attackers frequently rotate into advanced pockets, sometimes acting as ‘faux strikers’ or overloading central areas between the opposition’s defense and midfield.
Once the ball is progressed past the press, they look to isolate pacy and dynamic wingers on the flanks to attack the backline or cut inside.
Dead ball efficiency
Beyond open-play combinations, Brighton heavily threaten on the ball through well-rehearsed set pieces and corner routines. How this philosophy changes depends entirely on whether they face a high-pressing opponent or a stubborn low block.
When opponents try to press them high up the pitch, Brighton don’t shy away — they actively welcome it and their goal is to turn a settled build-up phase into a lightning-fast counter-attack by baiting the defenders forward.
Typically, their centre-backs (such as Lewis Dunk or Maxim De Cuyper) split wide alongside goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen, acting as a deep baiting line. Brighton’s central midfielders will deliberately drop incredibly deep or drift wide, pulling their markers with them. This purposefully ‘empties’ the central midfield zone.
Once the opponent’s midfield steps high to cover the deep options, Verbruggen or a centre back will execute a crisp, vertical, line-breaking pass directly into attackers like Charalampos Kostoulas or Stefanos Tzimas, who drop into that newly-vacated central pocket.
The forward layout quickly holds the ball up (‘Up’), lays it off to a supporting midfielder ghosting forward from a secondary line (‘Back’) who then launches a pacy winger in behind the opponent’s exposed, high defensive line (‘Through’).
When a team refuses to press and sits deep in a compact mid-to-low block, Brighton can no longer create artificial transitions via deep baiting and Hürzeler therefore shifts the strategy to territorial dominance and structural overloads.
Brighton compress the pitch entirely.
Their defensive line pushes nearly to the halfway line — they average the highest starting defensive distance in the Premier League — allowing them to trap opponents in their own half. The full backs are instructed to leave their traditional defensive zones and invert or advance heavily into the attacking line, pinning the opponent’s back four or five deep into their own penalty box.
Central midfielders such as Pascal Groß or Yasin Ayari rotate fluidly into advanced areas to overload the gaps between the opponent’s midfield and defensive lines. By flooding the box and the edges of the area, Brighton create severe numerical superiorities.
With the middle heavily congested by Brighton’s central overload, opponents are forced to narrow their defence. This leaves creative, explosive wingers completely isolated on the wings, giving them optimal space to take on defenders out wide and cross or cut inside.
Brighton’s off-the-ball approach
Albion’s philosophy out of possession is incredibly brave, aggressive, and intent on generating chaos. Rather than dropping back to protect space or preserve a rigid shape, Brighton use their defence to actively suffocate opponents and dictate where the game is played.
Their out-of-possession structure relies on several highly distinct tactical principles.
In modern football, most teams drop into a passive ‘mid-block’ once an opponent secures the ball.
Brighton reject this, and even when an opponent has completely settled possession, they’ll lock on man-to-man and trigger high-intensity presses, aiming to convert the opponent’s settled, calm possession into a chaotic, transitional state. This aggressive strategy relies on winning individual physical duels to quickly turn the ball over high up the pitch.
Brighton heavily concentrate their defensive efforts at the very top of the pitch, with over 40% of their total defensive pressures occurring in the final third.
They typically press out of a high 4-2-4 or 4-4-2 setup and the front line is tasked with hounding the opponent’s centre-backs and goalkeeper, cutting off clean passing lines into central midfield. If the opponent manages to pass wide to a full back, Brighton’s midfielders and wingers immediately swarm the touchline, cutting off options and forcing panicky, long clearances.
A crucial tactical detail under Hürzeler is the defensive work rate required by Brighton’s attackers.
If an opponent manages to pass the ball beyond their front line, the forwards don’t stop running. Instead, they immediately execute ‘backwards defending’ — sprinting back to pressure the ball carrier from behind. This double-teams the opponent and makes it incredibly difficult for them to turn or build forward momentum.
Brighton’s press is heavily player-oriented rather than zone-oriented.
If an opposing attacker drops deep into their own midfield to try and escape pressure and receive the ball, a centre back will ruthlessly follow them nearly all the way into the opponent’s half. Midfielders will also aggressively jump out of position to press highly, trusting the defensive line behind them to step up and handle the vacated space.
Because Brighton commit so many bodies forward to choke the opponent’s build-up, they rely on a very high defensive line.
They suffocate the middle of the pitch, meaning that if their high press fails to win the ball or force a mistake, they can leave massive areas of green grass behind them, making them vulnerable to quick counter-attacks.
