Arsenal vs Brighton: Arteta and Hurzeler's Feud Resolved

Mikel Arteta insists the feud is finished. The cameras will check that for themselves.

When Arsenal walk back into the Amex on Saturday, the Premier League champions carry more than a perfect start and a record in sight. They carry the memory of Fabian Hurzeler’s sting from last season – and the sense that the Brighton manager has no intention of softening his views.

Last season’s flashpoint

Back in March, after a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal, Hurzeler lit the fuse. “Only one team tried to play football,” the German said, accusing Arsenal of “making their own rules”. It was a pointed dig at Arteta’s approach and game management, and it stuck.

The rematch comes with the stakes higher. Arsenal are defending champions, Brighton are again trying to punch above their weight, and the touchline subplot is impossible to ignore.

Hurzeler, for his part, has not rowed back.

“I think it’s very important that in football there are opinions,” he said this week when reminded of his comments. “I will definitely always share my opinion if I am asked. But, in the end, I congratulate Arsenal for being deserved champions. They deserved it.”

So the opinion stands. The respect, he insists, does too.

Arteta draws a line

Arteta, though, is determined to cool the temperature.

“That’s all done. That’s all in the past,” he told reporters on Friday when asked about Hurzeler’s remarks. Any hint of lingering anger? None on show.

“I have huge respect for Fabian, and what he’s done and what Brighton has done as a club. It’s just remarkable, and tomorrow is going to be a beautiful game to watch, I’m sure.”

The message is clear: no grudge, no feud, just football. Whether the 90 minutes follow that script is another matter.

Champions in full stride

Arsenal arrive on the south coast in ruthless form. Four wins from four in their Premier League title defence have taken them straight back to the top of the table. They opened their Champions League campaign with a victory over Napoli. They reached the League Cup fourth round on Tuesday by beating Ipswich.

Count the Community Shield win over Manchester City and the numbers sharpen: seven straight victories in all competitions. One more at Brighton and Arsenal will match a 123-year club record for the best start to a season.

“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So, to win seven, it tells a story,” Arteta said, as quoted by AFP.

He pointed back to the uncertainty that followed the World Cup.

“After the World Cup, there were a lot of unknowns about how the players and the team were going to react. We didn’t have any time with them to work together.

“But I said from day one, the attitude and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with. Then you have to put it down to performances.”

So far, his players have done exactly that.

Dowman kicks down the door

The Ipswich tie also offered a glimpse of Arsenal’s future. Sixteen-year-old Max Dowman, making his first appearance of the season, scored twice and dominated the game, a performance that underlined why he is already regarded as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League.

He had been an unused substitute in the opening weeks. That may now change.

Asked if the teenager had been knocking on his door for more minutes, Arteta’s answer was blunt.

“The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office,” he said. “Then you just leave out the arguments. When a player delivers constantly on the pitch, every single day in training, that’s the best way, that’s the best signal for the manager.”

Dowman has sent his signal. Brighton away will show how quickly Arteta is prepared to act on it.

Contract calm amid the charge

All this comes against the backdrop of Arteta’s own future. The Spaniard has yet to sign a contract extension, with talks ongoing for several months, but he cut a relaxed figure when the subject came up.

“I think we are all very much aligned, whenever the time is right we’ll get that done. There is nothing to be concerned about,” he said.

No drama in the boardroom, no official announcement yet, and no sign that it is distracting him from the task in front of him.

That task, on Saturday, is clear enough. Silence the noise from last season, keep Hurzeler’s Brighton at arm’s length, and claim a win that would drag Arsenal level with a record set more than a century ago.

If they do that, who will really care what was said on the touchline back in March?