The clue that Brighton & Hove Albion are in a strong position in their push for Europe came with Fabian Hurzeler’s closing remarks after Saturday’s 2-0 win at Burnley.
“I think overall we have good availability at the moment and that’s something we’ve missed through the whole season,” the head coach told reporters. “It’s very important to keep this availability because then you have competition, different options I can bring from the bench, and they push each other to reach a new limit.”
At Turf Moor, Hurzeler was able to change the look of the forward line-up from the 75th minute, with his side leading through Mats Wieffer’s goal shortly before the interval. He brought on Kaoru Mitoma, Carlos Baleba and Georginio Rutter — three players who earlier in the season would have been regarded as certain starters. While injury problems have affected Mitoma, form has deserted Baleba and Rutter. Even so, it is comforting for Hurzeler to have these options up his sleeve.
Georginio Rutter’s drop in form has reduced his role to that of impact sub (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
Mitoma was introduced on the left flank in the 80th minute for Yankuba Minteh. Mitoma’s only start since the beginning of March was scoring superbly for Japan in their recent 1-0 friendly victory over England at Wembley. A combination of ankle discomfort and the resurgence of Hurzeler’s side — they won for the fifth time in six league games at Burnley — has limited Mitoma’s involvement.
Baleba and Rutter made their entrances at Burnley five minutes earlier than Mitoma, the former in place of Jack Hinshelwood, the latter for Danny Welbeck as the No 9. With Baleba joining Pascal Gross in midfield, Yasin Ayari advanced into Hinshelwood’s No 10 berth.
Mitoma and Ayari were both involved in Wieffer’s second goal in the 89th minute. Mitoma poked the ball across the box and Ayari got a touch on it as Wieffer doubled the lead with a sweet strike. It emphasised the power Hurzeler now has at his disposal to impact matches from the bench.
Diego Gomez lasted longest of the front four picked initially by Hurzeler at Burnley. The versatile Paraguayan played on the right until the 88th minute, when he was replaced by Joel Veltman.
Gomez avoided a 10th yellow card of the season, which would have ruled him out of the next two games at Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday and against Chelsea at the Amex Stadium three days later.
There was a worrying moment for Gomez during the first half as he writhed on the floor after a tackle by Maxime Esteve. The Burnley captain received a yellow card that could easily have been a red, as he caught Gomez above the ankle. Gomez was booed by home fans after that incident, but he continues to be a key player for Hurzeler.
The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium has fond memories for Gomez. A curling strike from outside the box provided his first goal for Brighton in a 4-1 romp last May in the closing away game of the 2024-25 campaign.
Diego Gomez has had a break-out season with Brighton (Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Gomez has kicked on this season, scoring 12 goals for club and country in a variety of positions. He will be important for Paraguay at this summer’s World Cup. With his hair changed from black to bleached blond, Gomez celebrated his 23rd birthday in March by scoring the only goal of a friendly win against Greece.
“I think he’s in great shape at the moment. He proved it also when he was away for Paraguay,” Hurzeler said during his media briefing before the visit to Burnley. “He has played some really good games and he finds a good balance between giving us a defensive stability and also giving us something special when we attack.
“Therefore, he plays in positions he played with his former club Inter Miami, more like a right- and left-winger, and he feels very comfortable there. But I also know that he can give us a lot when he plays in central midfield, especially now when Karou and Minteh are both available. This can definitely be an option for us.”
This alludes to the enviable choices available to Hurzeler. Minteh, better known as a right-winger, has forged a productive partnership on the left with adventurous full-back Ferdi Kadioglu. They caused Burnley constant problems.
When will Mitoma return to the starting line-up? When he does, who drops out of the attack: Minteh, Gomez or Hinshelwood? The latter’s effective shift to the No 10 spot has coincided with the revival in results. These are tricky questions to answer, but they are not a concern for Hurzeler as he plans for Saturday’s trip to Tottenham. The worries will lie with his predecessor, Roberto De Zerbi, who will be taking charge of his new club for the first time at home.
The Italian knows Mitoma, Welbeck and Hinshelwood well from his time at the Amex. Mitoma and Welbeck were regulars in the starting line-up, while De Zerbi gave Hinshelwood his first-team breakthrough as a right-back. De Zerbi is less familiar with Minteh, Rutter and Gomez. They were all signed after his departure in May 2024. Minteh and Rutter arrived at the Amex that summer, Gomez in the January 2025 transfer window.
Solly March will probably be on the bench for the third time in four matches at Tottenham. The long-serving winger enjoyed the most profitable period of his career under De Zerbi, with 10 goals and 10 assists in 40 league appearances. Two serious knee injuries have limited March to half that number of outings over the course of two and a half seasons.
Having March some way down the pecking order as back-up illustrates the strong hand Hurzeler has in attacking areas for the run-in as he attempts to emulate De Zerbi’s achievement of guiding Brighton to Europe in 2022-23 for the only time so far in their history.