Bizarre Solution in the Premier League: Coach Calls in MMA Fighter to Teach Players How to Fight Properly

This led the team to an unconventional training approach to bolster their defense. They enlisted German MMA fighter Christian Eckerlin. Nearly a third of the goals conceded stemmed from situations outside regular open play. However, the training seemingly didn't yield the desired results.

Over the weekend, Brighton faced Newcastle, the fourth most prolific team in terms of goals from set-pieces. The former club of Slovak goalkeeper Martin Dúbravka secured a 3-1 victory.

"That was a few months ago. We brought him in because we talked a lot about set-pieces, blocking, and new trends in the Premier League. So we tried to adapt to that as well. We don't want to be known as a nice club. At certain moments, you have to be quite resilient in individual duels," stated coach Fabian Hürzeler.

"There are different ways to be resilient, how to use a block, different techniques to win one-on-one duels – especially during set-pieces," he revealed, according to bbc.com.

An MMA fighter must always master such a fight and find a way to defeat their opponent. "We try to get ideas from other sports, and we used this. If it stays in the player's head, it's always a positive thing," explained the German coach.

"We have to find ways to be innovative as a club. We have to find ways so that better teams don't easily overcome us. Maybe we're not as physical, but there are always ways to defend and attack in one-on-one duels during set-pieces, and that's why we also try to use techniques from MMA," added the 33-year-old Hürzeler.

Eckerlin explained his methods directly to the players, with the coaching staff also present. They explored various defensive options and worked on improving their stance during defensive play. This also included how to legally push an opponent off the ball.