Arteta Ends Hurzeler Feud as Arsenal Aims for Record Start at Brighton
Mikel Arteta insists the feud is finished. The questions, clearly, are not.
As Arsenal head back to Brighton on Saturday, the cameras will not just follow the champions’ slick passing patterns. They will keep darting to the technical areas, searching for any leftover sparks from last season’s touchline flashpoint between Arteta and Brighton boss Fabian Hurzeler.
Back in March, after a 1-0 home defeat to Arsenal at the Amex, Hurzeler let fly. “Only one team tried to play football,” the German said, accusing Arsenal of “making their own rules.” It was a pointed swipe at the Gunners’ game management and Arteta’s combustible presence.
The comments have trailed them into this new campaign. Hurzeler was asked again this week whether he regretted those words. He didn’t blink.
“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.”
No apology. No backtracking. Just a nod to Arsenal’s title and a reaffirmation that he stands by his view.
Arteta, though, is in no mood to stoke a sequel.
“That’s all done. That’s all in the past,” he told reporters on Friday. “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 war of words, just football.
Champions in full flow
Arsenal arrive on the south coast in ominous form. Four wins from four in the Premier League have them sitting on top of the table, their title defence gathering early momentum rather than creaking under the weight of expectation.
They have already ticked off two more competitions as well. A composed victory over Napoli opened their Champions League campaign, while a rotated side moved into the League Cup fourth round with a win at Ipswich on Tuesday.
That night at Portman Road belonged to Max Dowman. Sixteen years old, first appearance of the season, and he walked off with two goals and a statement. The teenager has long been touted as one of the brightest prospects in the Premier League. Against Ipswich, he showed why.
He has been on the fringes so far, an unused substitute in the opening weeks, but performances like that tend to change a manager’s plans quickly. Not that Arteta wants to hear about players knocking on his office door.
“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 reveal whether Arteta acts on it immediately or keeps the teenager as a weapon in reserve.
Chasing a 123-year marker
Arsenal’s surge under Arteta this season stretches beyond the league table. Counting the Community Shield win over Manchester City, they have strung together seven consecutive victories in all competitions.
One more on Saturday would do more than silence any lingering noise about Hurzeler’s criticism. It would match a club record that has stood for 123 years for the best start to a campaign.
“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So, to win seven, it tells a story,” Arteta said, quoted by AFP.
He pointed back to the uncertainty that followed the World Cup, when players returned in different physical and mental states and preparation time evaporated.
“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 followed. The numbers back them up. The record is within touching distance.
Contract calm amid the noise
All of this has unfolded against the backdrop of ongoing talks over Arteta’s contract extension. Discussions have been running for months, but there is no sign of agitation from the Arsenal bench.
“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 manager is calm, the team is flying, and the supposed feud has been publicly buried.
What remains is the football itself – a champion side chasing history, a sharp-tongued young coach refusing to dilute his opinions, and a touchline duel that may say plenty about where this Premier League season is heading next.
