Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will have to “earn the right to win” when they face Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday as they bid to make it eight consecutive victories in all competitions.
Arsenal have made a perfect start to their campaign, winning their opening seven matches, but Arteta played down the significance of the run ahead of their final game before the extended international break.
“We’ve got a really tough opponent tomorrow, so we’re going to have to really earn the right to win the game, but certainly that will be the mindset of the players and the team,” Arteta said in a pre-match conference on the club website on Friday.
The Arsenal manager said his side had responded well to the demands of the schedule, particularly in away matches, where he wants the team to maintain the same approach as they do at home.
“That’s one of the challenges of the schedule, and the team has responded so well,” he said.
“Playing with dominance, it doesn’t really matter if we play at home or away, we want to be the same team and we want to cause the same kind of problems to the opposition.”
“We have managed to win the three games, and we’ve got the last one against a really tough opponent, as I said, against Brighton tomorrow, and we’ll try to do the same.”
Arteta was also asked about Arsenal’s chances of equalling a 123-year-old club record by making it eight wins in a row.
The Spaniard refused to look beyond Brighton.
“We just have enough on the plate today to prepare for the game against a really good Brighton tomorrow.
“We know how tough that’s going to be to earn the right to win it, that’s it,” he said.
Arsenal’s strong start has come after a period of uncertainty following the 2026 World Cup, with Arteta acknowledging that there had been questions about how his players would respond.
“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level, so to win seven, it tells the story,” he said.
“After the World Cup especially, 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 as I said, they won.”
Arteta added that performances and luck had both played a part in Arsenal’s run.
“I’ve seen their attitude, and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with.
“Then you have to put it down to performances and the element of luck as well to win football matches, and we are here and then we want to make another one for sure tomorrow,” he concluded.
