'What a surprise' - Mikel Arteta issues sarcastic response to Fabian Hurzeler
Mikel Arteta delivered a pointed response to criticism from Fabian Hurzeler following a heated Premier League clash between Brighton and Arsenal.
Hurzeler had accused Arsenal of time-wasting during the match – which the visitors won 1-0 – claiming they were ‘creative’ with their use of time and questioning why goalkeeper David Raya went down on three separate occasions.
The Brighton boss also admitted he exchanged words with Arteta on the touchline at the Amex on Wednesday – with the Spaniard seen pointing at his counterpart.
The tension from the touchline spilled into the media room, with Hurzeler questioning Arsenal’s tactics and Arteta standing firmly by his players and their competitive edge.
Asked about Hurzeler’s post-match comments, Arteta replied: “What a surprise.
Pressed to expand, the Spaniard added: “No, you just go back to the previous games and you will find a lot of comments like this always.”
Rather than engage directly in the criticism, Arteta instead threw his support behind his squad.
“I love my players,” he said. “I love the way we compete.”
The victory means Arsenal are seven points clear at the top of the table, after Manchester City dropped two points at home to Nottingham Forest.
Arsenal faced a hostile atmosphere throughout the contest, with boos ringing around the stadium at various points. But Arteta insisted that was part of the territory for a team challenging at the top.
“When you are in the position that we are in, obviously they want to take that away from you,” he said.
"That’s normal, that’s sport. We need to take that with normality and we need to confront it in the right way.”
Hurzeler cut a frustrated figure after seeing his side fall to a 1-0 defeat despite what he felt was a dominant performance.
“I think statistics never lie,” he said.
“We conceded one shot on goal, we created a lot of chances, we weren't that effective. In the final third we could be more clinical, more calm. We could make better decisions and create even more chances.”
While disappointed with the result, Hurzeler insisted he was proud of his team’s approach.
He explained: “In the end we lost, so we are all disappointed regarding the performance. But I loved the effort from my boys, I loved how they played football. I think there was only one team who tried to play football today and therefore I'm proud of how they did it.
“We have to keep working on the details, improving the small margins in the final third to create more chances. That’s our job, our responsibility, and we will keep working.”