Fabian Hürzeler praised Arsenal for their Premier League title and their improvement this season ahead of Brighton's clash with the Gunners this Saturday.
Hürzeler cools Arteta feud ahead of Brighton vs Arsenal clash
Fabian Hürzeler is winless from his first five meetings with Mikel Arteta's Arsenal. (Photo by David Price / Getty Images)
Brighton head coach Fabian Hürzeler has cooled the perceived feud with Arsenal and Mikel Arteta as they meet for the first time since an ill-tempered clash in March.
When the sides collided in a 1-0 Gunners win last spring, Hürzeler was animated on the touchline, rankling at the London side’s attempts to wind down the clock.
The German then drew attention for accusing Arsenal of "making their own rules" in his post-match comments.
While the Brighton boss invited plenty of passion from his players and the club’s supporters for this fixture, he was quick to quash any narrative of a dugout bust-up.
“Last season was last season”
Hürzeler cools Arteta feud ahead of Brighton vs Arsenal clash
Fabian Hürzeler drew headlines for his views on Arsenal's interpretation of the rules last season. (Photo by James Gill - Danehouse / Getty Images)
While Hürzeler has secured wins over 18 of the 20 current Premier League teams, the two which remain are Arsenal and Crystal Palace.
His first 95 matches in charge have been largely impressive, but with two draws in the 2024-25 season and three defeats across the league and Carabao Cup last year, there is room for improvement against the reigning champions.
In March, there was a sense of frustration overflowing from those results, but also a hint of Hürzeler attempting to unsettle Arteta, who is typically hard to fluster.
With Bukayo Saka’s early goal leading to an Arsenal victory, Hürzeler’s attempts to change the narrative did not change the trend.
“What was last season was last season,” said Hürzeler.
“I think it's very important that in football there are opinions, and I think opinions are very important. I will definitely always share my opinion if I get asked.
“In the end, I congratulated Arsenal on being deserved champions. They deserved it. Now it's a new season. They started very impressively. They may be the best team in England with their squad.
“Now it's our challenge to compete with them. It's our challenge to welcome them in our stadium with a special atmosphere, trying to focus and play our style of play, and then we also have a chance to win this game.”
“We want the fans to be energetic”
Hürzeler cools Arteta feud ahead of Brighton vs Arsenal clash
Brighton fans have enjoyed two wins and a draw in their first three home games of the season. (Photo by Pedro Porru / MB Media / Getty Images)
During Hürzeler’s tenure, Brighton have secured home wins over five of the ‘Big Six’: Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur.
The Seagulls’ 28.4 per cent overall win rate against ‘Big Six’ clubs is the best of any non-Big Six side, and has improved markedly in the German’s first two seasons in charge.
Hürzeler’s success against the big clubs has been credited to an aggressive style, controlling possession and pressing the giants high up the field.
Rather than introducing any new ideas, the German was keen for the approach to remain the same this weekend.
“I think our boys will always control the controllables, and therefore our identity and how we want to play football is always intense out of possession, but then calm and very structured in possession, and that's why I think the approach won't change,” said Hürzeler.
“The approach regarding these kinds of games will never change because we won't do anything different. Of course, maybe there's a little bit more noise. We're playing against Arsenal. There's a little bit of history, but overall, we want the fans to be loud. We want the fans to be energetic.
“We want to be a team that is difficult to beat, especially at home. We want to keep building this fortress, and who don't care who will come into the stadium.
“We want to play our game, and therefore the approach will be the same. We try to stay very calm in possession. Try to be very intense out of possession. We try to be the best counter-pressing team we can be, and then we see what happens.”
“We are not afraid”
Hürzeler cools Arteta feud ahead of Brighton vs Arsenal clash
Brighton are aiming to maintain the momentum from a strong start to the season, including a 3-2 win at Manchester United in midweek. (Photo by Nigel French / Allstar / Getty Images)
With Saturday’s game also dedicated as Brighton’s 125th anniversary fixture, there is an added spice as supporters are set to take part in special celebrations.
The hosts are clearly hoping this will result in another hostile atmosphere for the visitors, disrupting the momentum of seven consecutive wins in all competitions.
In these outings, Hurzeler has been impressed by what he has seen, praising Arsenal’s improvement in possession and commenting on how they have changed since March’s meeting.
One factor in this is the presence of captain Martin Ødegaard, who was missing in the last clash.
“It's also a different game for them; Martin Ødegaard is on the pitch,” said Hürzeler.
“He's definitely a game changer for them because he understands the spaces so well. He understands where he can create the numbers advantage, and he overloads those sides. And by doing that, he makes his teammates better.
“Besides that, I think they still invested a lot of money to get some good individual players into the squad.
“Overall, I think that's a very full team. What I mean by that is they're good in every phase of the game. They're good in possession, out of possession, with set pieces. They have individual quality.
“They're the best team at the moment in the Premier League. But as I said, we are not afraid of facing them. We have this belief of competing with them, of being relentlessly competitive, and that's what we want to do tomorrow.”