Former West Ham and QPR hero Bobby Zamora lands unique new job at Premier League club
Bobby Zamora lifted the lid on his return to Brighton and the impact of 'incredible' new boss Fabian Hurzeler.
Zamora spent four years at Brighton over two separate spells, scoring 51 goals in 108 appearances on the south coast.
The 43-year-old, who retired from football in 2016, has recently returned to the club as part of Hurzeler's backroom team, which is focused on further improving the club's attacking fortunes.
And his influence appears to be paying off as fifth-placed Brighton have scored 14 goals in eight league games this season.
Zamora has been tasked with coaching the club's forwards in a similar way to how goalkeepers have individual coaches and the former Premier League marksman believes attackers, like goalkeepers, also occupy unique positions.
“Fabián likes the idea of defenders, central midfielders, wingers and attackers working on their craft,” Zamora told talkSPORT. “Goalkeepers have their own coach and trainer since it is a very specialized position”
“But I think the strikers are too,” he added. “They can make or break seasons, championships, finals with that single throw of the ball and over the course of a week of training I remember not taking too many shots.
“That's where you have to grab your bag of balls after practice and make your shots and put them where you can.”
He continued: “The current problem with modern football is that training sessions and workload are so controlled that sports scientists say 'listen, you've done enough, you can't do any more'.
“It's nice and a little refreshing for me to come in and say 'let's work in a different way', maybe take you out of certain sessions and work on your art.
“We're not talking about smashing balls, we're talking about small movements, ideas and positioning.”
Zamora quickly caught up to Hurzeler's playing philosophy of fluid possession while adopting an aggressive pressing style to disrupt his opponents and win the ball back quickly.
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That involves a lot of work and intelligent off-ball positioning from their forwards, something that has required Zamora to take a deep look at the club's talent pool, including Danny WelbeckEvan Ferguson and Joao Pedro.
“Fabián has been fantastic to me,” he said. “He really wants me to get involved and analyze the previous game, the next ones and talk to the forwards.
“I'm not there preaching. I say 'listen, what do you want to work on? How can we improve it?' So he tries to help the forwards and the club, all at the same time.
“One of Fabián's main points is hard work without the ball and for the forwards, getting back behind the ball and making sure it is difficult to concede goals.
“When I looked at Danny's stats, I was surprised to find out that he had never scored ten Premier League goals in a season.
“For me, it was like 'can we help Danny get ten?' I would love to be able to see that, but watching him and studying him, I realized why he hadn't, because he works so hard for the team and defensively for Brighton and all the other teams he played for before.
“That contributes enormously to the ball reaching the other end of the field. Are you clever? Are you ready? Can you finish that one chance?
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“Danny has started the season fantastically and I've been there for about six weeks now and I'm just starting to build relationships with the lads so I can help the forwards and the team achieve their goals.
When asked about Hurzeler's impact since joining the club from Bundesliga rookies St. Pauli this summer, Zamora said: “He is a real inspiration. Watching him work, he is so energetic, so enthusiastic, and completely absorbed in succeeding and doing well.
“I think it's an incredible appointment and I really see bright things for the club.”
