Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks to the players during their narrow win at the Amex (Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta speaks to the players during their narrow win at the Amex (Image: Adam Davy/PA Wire)
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta expects “a beautiful game to watch” at the Amex.
The Gunners boss insisted he has buried the hatchet with Seagulls head coach Fabian Hurzeler on the eve of their Premier League clash.
Hurzeler took aim at Arteta after their last meeting – a 1-0 win for Arsenal in March – saying “only one team tried to play football” and accused the Gunners of “making their own rules”.
But speaking ahead of their fixture at the Amex on Saturday, Arteta said: “That’s all done. That’s all in the past.
“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.”
Arsenal will head to the south coast amid an ominous start to their Premier League defence after taking four victories from four.
They booked their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday by beating Ipswich with Max Dowman scoring a brace in his sole appearance of the season.
The 16-year-old will be pushing for a first league outing of the campaign but, when asked if the teenager has been “knocking on his door” to play, Arteta replied: “The best way to knock on the door is to do it on the pitch, not in the office.
“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. That’s the best signal for his team-mates, too.
“And what Max did the other day, alongside all the other players, as well, that haven’t played many minutes this season, was really impressive.”
An eighth consecutive win across all competitions would see Arsenal equal the club’s 123-year record for their best start to a campaign.
Arteta said: “We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level so, to win seven, it tells a story.
“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. We had a bit of luck as well, for sure, to win four matches. But we are here.
“We’ve got a really tough opponent tomorrow so we’re going to have to earn the right to win the game. But certainly that will be the mindset of the players and the team.”
Defensive trio Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera and Piero Hincapie are all injury doubts while Jurrien Timber continues to work his way back to full fitness following a long-term groin problem.