Fabian Hurzeler has a big call to make ahead of Thursday’s game away to Fulham over Lewis Dunk. Does the Brighton & Hove Albion head coach restore his captain to the starting lineup, or will he leave him on the bench for a second match running?
Dunk made the 250th Premier League appearance of his career for the club as a second-half substitute in Friday night’s underwhelming 1-1 draw against bottom side Southampton at the Amex Stadium. The previous 249 outings, spread across Brighton’s top-flight era since 2017, had been as a starter, so it is unfamiliar territory for the central defender to be a spectator.
In the past it has been a straightforward decision to pick Dunk when he is available, such is his influence both as a player and leader in the setup. He has missed only 34 of 279 Premier League matches for his home city club — testimony both to his fitness and his rare absences through suspension.
But the landscape has now shifted. There is unprecedented depth in Brighton’s squad, including at the heart of the defence. Dunk is no longer an automatic choice.
Dunk came on for the latter stages in the draw against Southampton (Shaun Brooks – CameraSport via Getty Images)
He should have reached the 250-game landmark as a starter against Wolves in October, but a calf injury sustained during the warm-up ruled him out of that game. Brazilian Igor Julio took Dunk’s place at short notice in the chaotic 2-2 draw as Wolves snatched a point after going 2-0 down in the 85th minute.
It was tempting to imagine two points would not have been thrown away had Dunk been marshalling affairs, but the way Igor performed subsequently alongside Dutch international Jan Paul van Hecke in 2-1 victories at home to Manchester City and away to Bournemouth — following a defeat against Liverpool by the same score at Anfield — prompted Hurzeler to maintain the status quo for Southampton’s visit.
“It was not an easy one,” explained Hurzeler after the game. “He (Dunk) is my captain, so one of the most important players. But I think Igor and JP have done well. I explained it to him and he came in and showed his impact to the team, showed his role immediately. He will help us to win games next time.”
Dunk came on as part of a triple substitution in the 72nd minute in place of right-back Tariq Lamptey, slotting in with Van Hecke to his right and Igor to his left. He had a chance to win the game from a corner, but showed his rustiness after five weeks out as his header flew well off target. Hurzeler is right when he says Dunk will help the team win games. Whether “next time” means against Fulham is another matter.
Hurzeler talked Dunk up to such an extent in his pre-match press conference on Thursday that it created the impression he would go straight back into the side.
“He is my captain,” Hurzeler said. “And he is captain for a long time now and is a player of big quality. It is very important to also see his role and what he gives to the team. We should never underestimate this.
“Of course Igor and JP, they are doing great jobs so far and that gives us competition in training. Lewis is a very important player for me. He helps the team, he helps me, he has great experience and knows what to do to be successful in the Premier League.
“Now we have a lot of games and I’m sure there will be several options to change the formation and the players who are playing together. Igor and Lewis, Lewis and JP, Lewis, JP and Igor — they can all play together.
“I love the way they are all back and they are all in great shape. Now we will see how fast Lewis is back in the team (and) get him reintegrated. But it is clear he is my captain and he’s one of the most important players in the team for me and he will help us to be successful.”
A frustrated Dunk at the final whistle (Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Hurzeler changed his tune when asked by The Athletic after the game whether the situation with the central defenders would encourage the possibility of returning to the back three he employed at St Pauli on their way to the Bundesliga 2 title last season.
He ruled that out, saying: “I think we have too many offensive players to go with three at the back. You have to adapt to the profiles you have here and what fits best for the team. That’s, I think, a back four.”
In all probability, then, it is an intriguing straight choice at Fulham between Igor and Dunk, the recipient of a congratulatory tweet from England on his recent 33rd birthday.
Wishing a very happy birthday to Lewis Dunk! 🎂 pic.twitter.com/aSAGvZLxj5
— England (@England) November 21, 2024
Dunk’s England career looks over after six caps spread across as many years. He had a watching brief in Germany last summer in the squad beaten in the final of the European Championship by Spain under Gareth Southgate, then was left out by interim coach Lee Carsley for the September, October and November internationals. It is hard to see Thomas Tuchel changing course when he replaces Carsley in January.
That leaves Dunk free to concentrate on leading Brighton’s quest to qualify for Europe for the second time in three seasons. The point against Southampton may have felt like scant reward, but it did lift them to second in the table with an identical record to Manchester City, above the reigning champions on alphabetical order ahead of the weekend fixtures.
Dunk has never missed more than nine games in a single Premier League season. Yet a combination of advancing years increasing the risk of injury and the greater competition for places could see him dip below that proud record of appearances consistency.
(Top photo: Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
