Brighton and Hove Albion boss Fabian Hürzeler said that his players would be ready to face Arsenal’s set-piece threat when they play each other in the Carabao Cup tomorrow (Wednesday 29 October).
And Hürzeler looks likely to give the younger players their chance again after two successive 6-0 wins over lower league opposition, saying: “We have to believe and we really trust the young players because they are here for a reason.
“It is not about age. It is about quality but, for sure, you need a good balance in the team.”
The Brighton boss told a press conference: “When we look at Arsenal, they are one of the first teams in the league who had like a set-piece coach.”
Hürzeler said that the Gunners had been honing their tactics for more than a year, with notable success from corners.
He added: “You see now the results of all this work so I think it’s getting more important, these set-pieces, in the Premier League, so we have to be ready.
“When you look at how many Premier League coaches hired set-piece coaches then I think it is just like the natural progress that it is getting more and more important.
“It is a big trend. I don’t know how long it will be, this trend, when the Premier League teams are able to adapt to the set-pieces from different teams.
“But at the moment it is a big part so you have to trust and have to adapt.”
But Brighton will have to adapt without veteran midfielder James Milner who has a minor muscular injury while Kaoru Mitoma, Brajan Gruda, Jack Hinshelwood and Joel Veltman are all still out.
Meanwhile, Arsenal pair William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli have been ruled out of fourth round League Cup tie at the Emirates.
Defender Saliba was forced off at half-time of the 1-0 Premier League win over Crystal Palace on Sunday while forward Martinelli limped down the tunnel after coming on as a second-half substitute.
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta is unsure how long the pair will remain sidelined but he said that Riccardo Calafiori, Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka would be available to face the Seagulls.
Asked about Saliba, Arteta replied: “He’s out. We are assessing him but he won’t be involved in this match.”
Speaking of Martinelli, the Spaniard said: “It looks as well he’s going to be out. We have to do some more tests and see the extent of the injury but this game is going to be too early for him.”
The loss of Martinelli adds to Arsenal’s attacking issues, with Noni Madueke, Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus already unavailable due to injuries.
But summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, who made a handful of appearances for Brighton early in his career, has started all 12 of the Gunners’ top-flight and Champions League fixtures this term, scoring five goals.
Arteta is wary of becoming further depleted in that area of the field. He said: “In the front line, that’s where we have more difficulties with Noni out, with Kai out, with Gabi Jesus out, with Gabi Martinelli out as well.
“That’s the area where we have to be more careful, more conscious, because we don’t have that many options.
“We are going to try to manage the load as good as possible, to make sure that the players are fresh, they can compete really well and the team can maintain the level that it is showing.”
He was speaking after victory over Crystal Palace lifted Arsenal four points clear at the top of the Premier League, with seven wins, a draw and one defeat from nine fixtures.
Arteta is embracing the optimism around the club. He said: “That’s what we want. When our people are excited and you see that the team is competing at the level consistently, they are the right reasons to believe.
“If you want to win big trophies, you certainly have to instal that feeling among the team, the club and around it.
“We are in a really good position at the moment but we know how early it is and how difficult every game is.”
Brighton will be looking to regroup after the 4-2 defeat at Old Trafford at the weekend, with a League Cup quarter-final place at stake.
The draw is due to be made tomorrow evening after the end of the Newcastle v Spurs match. The quarter-final ties are scheduled to be played in the week commencing Monday 15 December.
