"Can't Defend Him" - Brighton Boss Admits Chelsea Ace Unplayable In "One-On-One" Situations

Previewing Chelsea against Brighton in the Premier League.

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler has admitted that Chelsea's Cole Palmer may prove too much to defend in one-on-one situations ahead of their visit to Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea host Brighton and Hove Albion on Sunday afternoon as both sides look to continue their positive starts to the season.

The Blues secured their first win by beating Fulham narrowly by 3-2 at Craven Cottage last Monday, before dispatching Luton Town 2-0 in the Carabao Cup second round on Thursday.

Brighton, on the other hand, started their Premier League season with a 4-0 home win over Aston Villa, before finishing Norwegian side Tromso with another 4-0 victory in their Europa Conference League play-off tie.

Chelsea remain the favourites heading into this match, but so were they in the three encounters against Brighton last season, which ended in three losses: twice in the Premier League and once in the FA Cup fourth round.

Palmer problem for Brighton

Even so, Hurzeler has warned his team about the individual quality Chelsea have in their squad, including Palmer.

Back in September 2024, Palmer famously scored four goals in the first half in Chelsea’s 4-2 win over Brighton during Hurzeler’s debut season.

Hurzeler argued that players such as Palmer must be dealt with collectively as a team.

“I think you can’t defend him one-on-one,” the German admitted in his pre-match press conference when asked how his side would deal with Palmer’s threat.

“You need to replace it with pressing attempts, by creating a numbers advantage near him. But Chelsea are not only Cole Palmer.

“Of course, he had a great game (against Fulham), a great performance. He seems to be in really good shape after the summer break.

“On top of that, they have Joao (Pedro); they have Morgan Rogers. Like I said, they have individual quality. They have a clear style of play.

“We can go through their whole squad, and I can name a lot of good players with individual quality. But in the end, it will be Chelsea against Brighton. So, that’s how we will face this game.”

It is no surprise that Hurzeler mentioned Chelsea’s front three after their outstanding displays against Fulham. Despite conceding two goals due to poor goalkeeping, Chelsea still came out with a win relatively comfortably thanks to a goal apiece by their attacking trio.

Hurzeler was also full of praise for Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso, whom he described as “one of the best” and already “proved” it with his successful spell at Bayer Leverkusen.

Brighton may have to deal with a familiar face in Welbeck, who left Amex Stadium for Stamford Bridge this summer.

Welbeck is unlikely to be in the Chelsea starting line-up on Sunday, with Joao Pedro expected to start up front. Still, Brighton are obviously aware that the veteran striker remains a threat even from the bench, given he is joint-third in Premier League goalscoring record as a substitute with 19 goals.

Hurzeler expressed his gratitude towards Welbeck, with whom he maintains a “great relationship”, for helping him in the two years they worked together.

“Really happy for him (for scoring against Luton Town on Thursday),” Hurzeler added.

“I’m grateful for working with him, and I wish him a great finish to his unbelievable and very impressive career.”

He then joked: “On Sunday, he can take a break, and afterwards, I wish him all the best again.”