Fabian Hurzeler leapt to the defence of his captain Lewis Dunk after an error-strewn performance from the 33 year-old Brighton captain who twice let the lead slip at home to Leicester.
Dunk, who played alongside Carlos Baleba in a makeshift back line, was at fault for Leicesterās first goal, carelessly giving away possession on the halfway line.
Some of the Albion faithful were frustrated with the man who has been so dependable in his more than 400 appearances for the club, but Hurzeler was not one of them.
He said: āI will never point Lewis out and say heās the reason we are not winning the game. Thatās the fact, heās my skipper, heās a legend for the club and therefore he will try everything to bounce back, like the whole team.
āItās not about picking one player out, itās always a collective thing, so we defend together as a team and we attack together as a team, and of course when we concede two goals, itās easy to say Carlos or Lewis made a mistake but a lot of mistakes happened before’, added Hurzeler.
Calf and rib injuries as well as the form of Adam Webster and Jan Paul van Hecke have restricted Dunk to 24 appearances this season and the signs are that the defenderās body may be beginning to catch up with him.
Fabian Hurzeler defended Brighton captain Lewis Dunk after he struggled against Leicester
Hurzeler stated that it is important for Brighton to defend better collectively as a team
Carlos Baleba, who was playing out of position at centre-back, also struggled against Leicester
There were problems for Hurzeler at the other end of the field, too. Both Brighton’s goals came from Joao Pedro penalties, with many chances spurned from open play.
Just two points from a possible 12 is a run of form that has come at just the wrong time. After a run of form that has delivered just two points from a possible 12, hopes of European football are fading fast.
‘We have to stick together, like I said to you, the season is not done so we have to stick together, we need the fans,ā said Hurzeler.
