MMA fighter helped Brighton shake off ‘nice’ tagImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Brighton have scored 27% of their Premier League goals from set-pieces this seasonByFlora SnelsonBBC Sport journalistPublished18 minutes agoFabian Hurzeler says he does not want Brighton to be “known as a club that is nice” after they enlisted an mixed martial arts fighter to help them improve at set-pieces.In an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live last week, midfielder Jack Hinshelwood mentioned the fighter – understood to be German Christian Eckerlin – had been brought in to help players “block from corners better” earlier this season.
Brighton have conceded 13 goals, a third of their overall total, from set-pieces this campaign and travel to Newcastle United – the fourth-most prolific scorers of set-piece goals and one of the Premier League’s tallest teams – on Saturday (15:00 BST).
“It was a couple of months ago. We brought him in because we spoke a lot about set-pieces, blocking, new trends in the Premier League. Therefore we tried to adapt to it as well,” mentioned Hurzeler.
