Transcript of Fabian Huerzeler's Brighton v Chelsea press conference

As well as the headline team news and updates on his own disciplinary matters, he spoke at some length about the threat the Seagulls will face at Stamford Bridge.

And what they can do to both combat that and cause problems of their own.

Here is a full record of what Huerzeler told reporters in the non-embargoed section of the press conference.

We didn't hear from you after Forest, but you're still unbeaten. What were your reflections on that match against Forest? 

A little bit similar to the Ipswich game. I think we did enough to win this game. In the end if you don't score the third goal, then you have to defend better and you can't concede these easy goals. We have to improve. But it's always in life about perspective, how you want to see it. So on one side you can say yes, we didn't want two games in a row where we should normally deserve to win. Or you can say we are still unbeaten. I'm more directed towards the positive one. I always say the bottle is half full and not half empty. That's why we keep staying positive and seeing the positive things in the situation.

Have you spoken to the PGMOL about your sending off – what were you sent off for?

So at the beginning I didn't know what I got the red card for. I talked to Howard Webb. In the end I heard that I got this red card for stepping on the pitch. If you give a red card for this, I think you have to ban a lot of coaches because it happens in an emotional phase, an emotional situation in the game. It can happen that you make a step on the pitch. Of course, we are role models and we have to act in a certain way. But sometimes you also should bring out your emotions. In this case it was just to protect my player. In this case it was to protect Joao Pedro because for me it was a hard tackle on him.

If I don't show emotions there, me as a player, I would say the coach isn’t interest in me. So that's why I try to show emotions in some part of the games.

Your discussion with Howard Webb?

Positive, he is very open. He listened to me and gave me a clear explanation of the situation – how the referee saw the scene, how the fourth official saw the scene. I think it's very important to have a good discussion and a clear discussion about how I see things, how they see things, because in the end, we should have a good relationship.

Of course, sometimes,  I don't agree with the referee for what the referee gives a foul or not, but in the end he also won't agree with all that I'm doing on the sideline. It's very important that we have a respectful relationship and the exchange of how it was, was very respectful, very empathetic and with everyone listening. In the end, I hope that we will find the right solutions.

What is the outcome – are you banned?

I know what the fine will be and I also know that I will be on the sideline against Chelsea. I think that's the most positive thing, that I can support my team, that I can help my team. I also have to learn from this situation, how fast you can get a red card in this league and it's a learning process for me as well. But of course, the fine we will accept.

The tackle on Joao Pedro?

This tackle, of course, you can see it on television, but you have to see it on the pitch – how hard it was, the dynamic of it. The TV can't give you the right dynamic of what happens in real life. It was a hard tackle for me. Joao had some problems after the game.

He still has some problems. You have to go week by week with him. But I don't think that he will be an option for the weekend.

How long will he be out for?

We have to keep looking, I'm not sure how long he will be out. I think that Joao is a good healer. I'm convinced that he will be back soon. But, of course, with this player we can't take any risk. We all know that he's a player who can make the difference for us.

We also have several other good options. We try to replace him as good as we can and give him a  good rehab and I'm sure he won't be out for so long, hopefully.

Any other team news?

Yasin Ayari after his illness, he will be back.

Brajan Gruda, Solly March?

With Brajan, he was out for five, six weeks. He will be back in the squad very soon, maybe already at the weekend. We will see how fast he gets reintegrated into the team, how fast he adapts to the intensity of the training. Then he might be an option for Saturday.

With Solly, it's unbelievable how good he is adapting. We are all surprised in what shape he is in. He looks very sharp. Now we have to make the next decision. What is the next step for him? Maybe playing an under-21 game, but it is also important which under-21 game he's playing and what is the best for him. It’s also where he feels comfortable because he has to feel comfortable after this long injury, that he will make the next right step.

It's important to make it step by step and not to do two or three steps in one time. I'm very happy with how he's doing. And I think he, he also feels very happy. He has a lot of energy and you also see that in the training, the impact he has on the team.

You could play Liverpool twice in a week after the Carabao Cup draw…

I had a similar situation last season with my former club, where we played the cup came against Dusseldorf three days after a league game.  It's always interesting how you prepare the first match, then how it went in the first match.

If you do some changes, if not, if you change a player, if you change a tactic, it's a little bit like a tactical thing, but also how fit are the players in these cases. It will be very interesting not only to play two games in a row against Liverpool, but just to play against Liverpool.

They had a great start to the season they have a great new coach, but I think now we have to focus on Chelsea because it's a very big challenge. They are for me one of the best teams in the league so far and we're really looking forward to it.

Jack Hinshelwood had ice on his ankle after the game…

It’s to help fast regeneration after the game, fast treatment for his ankles and now he will be fine. 

How to prepare to face Chelsea?

So on one side, of course you have to analyse them by what they are doing tactically on the pitch and they have very good solutions.

They have a great goalkeeper, who starts trying to build up the game from the back, always with his feet. He's a very good football player and then of course they have good positioning in possession. Opening with a 3-2 but still very fluent. I think Enzo is also dropping into the midfield.

Then on the other side they have great individual players. You have to keep focusing on where you can create a good match and don't create a mismatch. You try to put players in personal duels where you think that would be a good match. For example, against their wingers, who do you bring in as a full-back against Sancho, against Madueke? They're both very fast, both very good dribblers.

Who do you bring against Jackson, who's a fast striker and also good in possession? So on one side, of course the tactical thing, on the other side trying to find good matches. Beside that, how you want to press them, it's also very important to find a good solution in possession for ourselves.

So how is the match plan with the ball? Because you can't go there and try to only defend. You have to go there and have a lot of courage with the ball. Try to build up  with a clear idea and with good positioning, because then they also have to defend. This will be the thing that we will try to do.

Is Nicolas Jackson a unique threat in the Premier League?

He is the full package. He wants to combine. Spmetimes he is getting more in the No.10 space where he can combine with his team-mates, where he's there with [Cole] Palmer, with [Moises] Caicedo, with Enzo Fernandez.

On the other side he's also very fast. He can attack the back of us. This mix, this balance, makes him very dangerous for us. He's a top striker and at the moment he's in very good shape. You can't defend them in a one-against-one, you have to always try on one side to get pressure on the ball so that they can't play the long ball in behind, and on the other side you always need to find a good balance of how close you want to defend against them.

Kaoru Mitoma is in good form...

I enjoyed working with him from the first day because he's a great guy. He’s very humble and trying to do everything to improve. I think after his injury he needed a little bit of time to come back, to find his old shape. But we don't put a lot of pressure on him. He knows best what to do to get back in his best shape.

He's doing it better game for game. In the end, we want him to score and make assists. He had some great chances in the last games – he was a bit unlucky, but he keeps trying. He's always there on the second post. He tries to have the easy tap-in, but he also tries to go one-against-one and make a shot on the goal.

He's very flexible. He's improving with his crosses, so I think it's still a process and a development where he is, and I'm very happy with his situation, the shape he is in at the moment, but we still try to improve in every phase of the game. 

His first touch looks immaculate?

It is, yes.

Does is stand out to you?

I think in some ways his first touch is special.  But of course it's also a thing where I'm convinced you can train [to improve]. So how you pass, how you take the first touch and if you do a lot of this exercise in training, I think you can improve.

But of course, Mitoma has an outstanding first touch. He's an outstanding player. He's a player who can make the difference. But again, for all these players, there are still things where we can improve. And the thing is that he wants to improve. He doesn't say, ‘I'm finished with my development’. He's still searching for potentials. That's what is really impressive with him.

Thoughts on Jack Hinshelwood’s best position?

It's tough because he can play several positions and several positions really good.

Against Nottingham, he made an  outstanding performance in the midfield. He understands the game. He's very clever in recognising his position – how he need to open the passing lines, how he needs to move into which space to find the free team-mate. It only works if you really understand the game and he does it in an outstanding way.

He also performs quite good as a full-back. It's tough for me to bring him in the best position because I think he has several best positions. We have to make a decision where he helps the team the most, in which situation of the game we are and how the opponents are.

We need to find the best position for him against Chelsea.

With Joao injured, how important is Evan Ferguson’s return?

Very important because Evan is a clear target player in the box. He knows how to move in the box. He has a good nose for some situations. He's there when he needs an easy tap-in. He's there when he needs to make a header. He also looks very good also in training. Against Nottingham, we were thinking about bringing him on a little bit earlier because we know his strength.

But in the end, the most important thing is that he's fit, that he's training every day, that he doesn't feel his injury any more, and that he's getting back to his best shape. We need to help him. We need to give him game time for sure. I'm really keen on working with him because I think he can have a great impact on our team.

How to counter-act Chelsea.…

Avoid that they have time on the ball and can play a long ball in behind. I think that's very important. Then if you get pressure you can defend with this high line because it's all about compactness. On the other side, I think there will be moments in the game where we have to defend in a low block. A low block means that you don’t give them the space behind our back four.

We have to stay very low and stay compact. In the end, it's all about compactness. When you go high, high pressure, you need to have a high line. Otherwise you're not compact. If you go low, the strikers have to come back so that you are compact. Otherwise it won't work.

The goal we conceded against Nottingham was not the mistake from the back four. It was more that we didn't get the pressure right and that we opened the middle. That's the thing you can't do if you want to play with the high line, we have to learn out of it.

Thoughts on Enzo Maresca?

I don't know him personally.  But I think he has had a great start and he plays a very good style of football.

He also has great players, but in the end he brings them in the right positions and they're very fluent and they have a lot of self-confidence.