Lokacin da Brighton & Hove Albion suka sha kashi a gida ga Crystal Palace a watan Fabrairu, Fabian Hurzeler ya sha tsawa daga magoyayansa, wadanda suka yi wakar cewa za a kore shi da safe. Ƙungiyar tana matsayin 14 a teburin Premier League, da nasara guda daya a wasanni 12, kuma matsin lamba yana ƙaruwa cikin sauri.

"Akwai zaɓuɓɓuka biyu kawai," in ji Hurzeler bayan shan kashi da burin 1-0. "Barin ko ci gaba da ƙoƙari da ƙarfi — kuma hakan ne zaɓin da koyaushe nake yi a rayuwata."

Watanni takwas bayan haka, waɗannan kalmomi sun zama gaskiya. Brighton na matsayi na uku a Premier League bayan nasarori manya akan Arsenal, zakaran da ake da shi, da Aston Villa, wanda ya ci Europa League. Magoya bayan da suka taɓa neman a kore shi yanzu suna tsoron babban ƙungiya na iya kwaceshi.

Ƙaramin manaja a tarihin Premier League

An naɗa Hurzeler manajan dindindin na Brighton a watan Yuni 2024 yana da shekara 31 — ƙarami a matsayin manajan dindindin a tarihin Premier League. A wasanni 18 a wannan kakar, ya samu nasara 11, ya kai ƙungiyar cikin gasar Turai kuma akwai rahotanni na Manchester United suna nuna sha'awa a gare shi.

Tsohon dan wasa mai harba ƙwallo na Brighton Glenn Murray ya gaya wa BBC Sport cewa yadda Hurzeler ya amsa ƙalubale ya nuna ainihin yanayin wannan mutum. "Kana koyo game da kanka da mutanen da ke kewaye da kai sosai lokacin da kake rasa wasanni," in ji Murray. "Hurzeler ya fita daga ɗayan gefe kuma yadda ya sa ƙungiyar 'yan wasa su yi aiki da kyau yana da ban mamaki."

Scott McCarthy, daga gidan yanar gizon magoya baya We Are Brighton, ya tuna yadda yanayin ya kasance mai duhu a lokaci guda na kaka da ta gabata. "Ya bayyana kamar manaja wanda ba shi da ra'ayoyi," in ji McCarthy wa BBC Sport. "Bayan mun fita filin wasa bayan an sha kashi a gida daga Palace, zancen magoya bayan shine kawai: 'dole ne ya tafi.' Yanzu ya bambanta sosai. Ya yi aiki ba da misali."

Daga mai sayar da zane zuwa Premier League

Tafiyar Hurzeler zuwa saman ƙwallon ƙafa na Ingila ba ta da misali. An haife shi a Houston, Texas, ya koma Jamus yana dan shekara biyu. Bayan lokuta a ƙungiyoyin ajiyar Bayern Munich, Hoffenheim, da 1860 Munich, raunuka sun tilasta shi ya daina wasan ƙwararru a shekarar 2016 yana da shekara 23. Ya karɓi matsayin ɗan wasa-manaja a Pipinsried, ƙungiyar da ke a matsayi na biyar na Jamus kimanin kilomita 50 daga Munich.

Don samun ƙarin kuɗi a wannan ƙaramin ƙungiyar kauye, Hurzeler ya yi aiki a wurin mai sayar da zane, yana sayar da hotuna ga attajirai na Bavaria — har sai an kore shi saboda yana ɓata lokaci mai yawa wajen kallon wasannin ƙwallon ƙafa.

A wata hira da The Guardian a shekarar 2024, Hurzeler ya haɗa wannan gogewa kai tsaye da falsafarsa ta horar da ƙungiya. "Idan kana son sayar wa wani abu, dole ne ka yi ƙoƙarin shawo kansa," in ji shi. "Dole ne ka fahimci buƙatun da burin abokan ciniki. Wannan yana da kamanceceniya ɗan ƙaramin da kasancewar koci. Mafi mahimmanci shi ne fahimtar mutumin da ke bayan ɗan wasan."

Koyo daga mafi kyau

Yaƙinin ci gaba ya kai shi wasu daga cikin shahararrun wuraren horarwa a Turai. Yayin da yake horar da St Pauli — wanda ya dawo da su Bundesliga bayan rashin kasancewa shekaru 13 — ya ziyarci wurin horarwa na Tottenham don kiyaye hanyoyin Ange Postecoglou, yana tambaya har Postecoglou ya tilasta wani koci ya taimaka masa wajen amsa tambayoyin. Har ila yau ya ɗauki ra'ayoyi daga Roberto de Zerbi a Brighton, watanni kafin ya maye gurbinsa a kujerar kocin Amex Stadium.

Tafiyar ba ta kasance mai sauƙi ba. Brighton sun sha shan kashi 7-0 a Nottingham Forest a kaka ta farko ta Hurzeler, kuma tsohon mai tsaron baya na Arsenal da Ingila Martin Keown ya lakafta shi a bainar jama'a "bai san komi" a shirin Final Score na BBC bayan shan kashi 4-2 a Chelsea a watan Satumba na 2024.

Komawa ga tushe

McCarthy ya ce canjin ya fara ne lokacin da Hurzeler ya yi nazari kan kansa da gaskiya. "Ya dogara da ƙwararrun 'yan wasa don fita daga cikin matsalar, wanda hujja ce ga bangaren aikace-aikacensa," in ji McCarthy. "Hurzeler ya gane cewa abin da yake yi bai yi aiki ba kuma ya gwada wani abu daban. Yanzu za ka iya ganin ƙungiyar da ta fi wakilta shi, saboda suna matsi cikin hauka."

An ba Hurzeler sabon kwantiragin dogon lokaci kafin ƙarshen kaka da ta gabata kuma an ba shi kimanin fam miliyan 150 don saye a lokacin rani. Duk da hasashe da ke haɗa shi da manyan ƙungiyoyi, McCarthy ya yi imanin zai zauna. "Shi mutumin hankali ne ƙwarai. Bai zama manajan Premier League yana da shekara 31 ba ba tare da yin tunani ba. Abin da ya faru a Brighton ya nuna yana buƙatar shekaru biyu da rabi don gina ƙungiya."

A Pipinsried, sunansa har yanzu ana shi da daukaka. Sepp Ankner, daraktan kudi na ƙungiyar, ya gaya wa The Athletic a 2024: "Eh, yana jin daɗin dawowa lokaci zuwa lokaci — don ganin ko komai yana cikin tsari. Idan ya zo, yana magana da kowa. Ya riƙe dangantakarsa da Pipinsried da gaske."

Crystal Palace za su ziyarci Amex Stadium ranar Lahadi, suna ba Hurzeler damar fuskantar ƙungiyar da ziyarar su watanni tara da suka wuce ta kusan kawar da shi — da kuma nuna nisa da shi da Brighton suka yi.