Two Brighton & Hove Albion players have been singled out for national recognition, with BBC Sport pundit Troy Deeney naming captain Lewis Dunk and midfielder Pascal Groß in his Premier League Team of the Week.
The double selection, made in Deeney’s regular BBC Sport Team of the Week column, underlines how central Albion’s senior pros remain to Fabian Hürzeler’s project even as the head coach leans on a younger core.
Troy Deeney Honours Brighton Leadership Following Memorable Coventry Strike
Deeney compiles a Premier League team and manager of the week after every round of top-flight fixtures, weighing individual performances against the wider context of each result.
This week’s selection places Manchester City goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma between the posts, with the pundit crediting the Italian’s influence at both ends of the pitch. “Not only is he one of the best goalkeepers in the world, but he is a big-match player,” Deeney wrote of Donnarumma’s inclusion.
Manchester City boss Enzo Maresca also picked up Deeney’s manager of the week nod, reflecting City’s continued form at the top of the division.
Against that backdrop of elite company, the inclusion of two Albion players carries real weight. Dunk’s selection stems directly from his eye-catching contribution against Coventry, a moment Deeney singled out as decisive enough on its own to merit a place in his side.
For a club captain who has spent his entire senior career on the south coast, this kind of national platform is a reminder of the respect Dunk continues to command from pundits who watch the division week in, week out. It also arrives at a point when Albion have started the season with genuine attacking intent, as shown by their 4-0 win over Aston Villa on the opening weekend.
The Physical Discrepancy and Deeney’s Praise for Lewis Dunk
Deeney’s admiration for Dunk’s goal was unambiguous. “Who knew the big 6ft 5in centre-half could put one in to the top bins, straight off the crossbar?
Unbelievable. He goes in just for that strike against Coventry alone,” the pundit wrote, framing the finish as spectacular enough to override any debate over the rest of his weekly selection.
Supporters should note one detail in that assessment. Deeney describes Dunk as 6ft 5in, but official Premier League playing records list the defender at 6ft 4in, or 1.92m. It is a modest discrepancy, and one unlikely to have influenced Deeney’s judgement of the finish itself, but it is worth correcting for the record rather than letting an inflated figure stand unchallenged.
The mismeasurement does nothing to diminish the substance of the praise.
Deeney’s language makes clear that it was the technical quality of the finish, arrowed off the crossbar and into the top corner, rather than Dunk’s height alone, that persuaded him to include a centre-back not typically associated with regular goal contributions. For a player who has built his reputation on defensive reliability and dressing-room leadership rather than end product, this was a rare moment in the spotlight for the right reasons.
Pascal Groß Delivers Experience to Fabian Hürzeler’s Evolving Squad
Groß’s inclusion tells a different story, one rooted in consistency and know-how rather than a single eye-catching moment.
Deeney credited the German midfielder with a goal and assists in recent weeks, but his praise extended well beyond raw output.
“Goal and assists. The old head who they brought back steadies that ship – it’s a really young team. He is even more important now with no Welbeck, no Milner. He is in and is a steady hand,” Deeney wrote.
That reference to Danny Welbeck and James Milner is pointed. Both have been long-standing sources of experience and calm within Albion’s squad, and their absence has left a gap that Groß, in Deeney’s assessment, has been instrumental in filling.
Having returned to the club after a spell away, Groß occupies a slightly different role now: less a breakout performer and more a stabilising presence for a squad that skews increasingly young under Hürzeler.
Deeney’s phrase “steady hand” captures something Albion supporters have long recognised in Groß. His positional intelligence and composure on the ball allow younger teammates to play with greater freedom around him, a dynamic that becomes more important, not less, as the head coach continues to blend youth with know-how across the pitch.
Why Brighton’s Senior Leaders Remain Vital for Fabian Hürzeler
Taken together, Deeney’s selections reinforce a pattern that has been visible since Hürzeler took charge: a genuinely young Brighton team leaning on a handful of senior figures to provide structure and composure.
Dunk’s leadership from the back and Groß’s calming influence in midfield are not simply nostalgic throwbacks to an earlier era of the club’s rise, they are active, week-to-week components of how this Albion side functions without recognisable attacking talismans like Welbeck available.
Hürzeler has previously spoken about the adjustments required to compete consistently in the Premier League, a theme explored in Albion’s ‘big change’ interview on a vital Premier League trend. The presence of experienced heads like Dunk and Groß fits squarely within that broader tactical evolution, giving the head coach license to trust younger players in advanced areas while the spine of the team remains battle-tested.
National recognition of this kind rarely arrives by accident.
Dunk and Groß have earned their inclusion in Deeney’s team of the week through performances that combined quality with responsibility, exactly the traits Hürzeler will need from his most experienced players as Albion navigate a season in which squad depth and continuity look set to matter as much as individual brilliance.
