Arteta Resolves Brighton Feud as Arsenal Aims for Historic Start

Mikel Arteta insists the feud is finished. The Arsenal manager heads back to Brighton this weekend with the title holders flying and the old war of words with Fabian Hurzeler officially laid to rest.

The two coaches clashed last season after Arsenal’s 1-0 win at the Amex Stadium in March, when Hurzeler tore into the Gunners’ approach. The German claimed “only one team tried to play football” and accused Arsenal of “making their own rules” in a stinging post-match assessment that lit up the touchline rivalry.

Now the champions return to the south coast, and the cameras will again linger on the technical areas, waiting for a flicker of tension. Hurzeler has not rowed back. Arteta has refused to bite.

This week, asked if he regretted his comments, the Brighton boss stood firm. “I think it’s very important that in football there are opinions,” he said. “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.”

Arteta’s response on Friday was icy only in its calm.

“That’s all done. That’s all in the past,” he told reporters. “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.”

Champions in full flow

The backdrop to this reunion is a ruthless Arsenal side that has started their Premier League defence at full throttle. Four wins from four have put them top of the table, and they have barely missed a step across competitions.

They opened their Champions League campaign with a victory over Napoli, then rolled into the League Cup in midweek and booked a fourth-round spot with a win at Ipswich. The momentum is real. So is the sense of something building.

At Portman Road, a teenager stole the show. Max Dowman, making his first appearance of the season, scored twice and looked every inch the prodigy Arsenal insiders have been talking about for months. At 16, he is already being mentioned as one of the brightest young talents in the Premier League.

He had been an unused substitute through the opening weeks. That may not last much longer.

Asked if the youngster had been knocking on his door for more minutes, Arteta cut straight to the point.

“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 is a different stage, but Arsenal’s depth suddenly looks even more dangerous.

Chasing a 123-year record

Including the Community Shield win over Manchester City, Arsenal have strung together seven consecutive victories. One more on the south coast and they will equal a club record that has stood for 123 years for the best start to a campaign.

Arteta knows how fragile such runs can be, and how hard they are to put together.

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

He pointed back to the uncertainty that followed the World Cup and the lack of preparation time with his squad.

“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.”

The performances have come, relentlessly. Brighton now stand in the way of a piece of history and a statement that this title defence will not be tentative.

Contract talks in the background

All of this has unfolded while Arteta’s own future remains technically unresolved. His contract extension is still not signed, with talks ongoing for several months. On the surface, at least, he is unruffled.

“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.

So the narrative around Arsenal’s trip to the Amex is layered: a simmering managerial rivalry that both men insist is under control, a teenage star pushing for a bigger role, a champion side hunting down a record that dates back more than a century.

If Arsenal walk off the Brighton pitch with another win and history matched, the conversation will not be about last season’s spat. It will be about how long anyone can keep pace with them this time.