Why Arsenal's 3-0 Brighton battering is the reality check Mikel Arteta needed

Arsenal faced one of their worst results in recent years against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Amex.

The Gunners had been the best team in the Premier League up until the game on Saturday, but Fabian Hurzeler made Mikel Arteta’s side look very average. They were outthought, outplayed and outfought from start to finish.

Arteta was visibly annoyed after the game and accused his players of not respecting the basic principles of football needed to win a game. He was not happy at all.

However, this defeat could end up being a big positive for Arsenal going forward.

Brighton’s 3-0 win vs Arsenal is a big reality check for Mikel Arteta

Arteta hadn’t put a foot wrong in Arsenal’s first seven games of the season in all competitions.

The Gunners boss got his tactics spot on in every single one of those games, and his side were dominant winners each time. All the stats were in their favour as well.

However, on Saturday, Brighton absolutely battered them from the first minute and were arguably unlucky to not score six or seven. It should’ve been an even bigger defeat for the champions.

This will really give Arteta some food for thought and is a massive reality check. Almost everyone since the start of the season has branded Arsenal as the best team in the country, so to lose 3-0 is a real wake-up call.

That, however, is not a bad thing at all at this stage of the season.

Arteta got his tactics wrong, but the players on the pitch should put their hands up as well. It felt like some of them had become complacent after their flawless start to the season.

Now, with the international break upon us, Arteta will have to dwell on that result for three whole weeks, and we’re sure that will leave a terrible taste in his mouth.

That will make the manager recognise the mistakes and make sure this will not happen again – history shows us that as well. The last time Arsenal lost 3-0 was about three-and-a-half years ago.

Whatever the Spaniard said after that game made sure the Gunners didn’t produce such an unacceptable performance for such a long time. Hopefully, the same happens again this time.