'Stay grounded' — Arteta makes simple demand as Arsenal chase 123-year record

The Gunners head into Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brighton & Hove Albion on a seven-game winning run at the start of the season.

Victory at the Emirates would match the eight successive wins achieved by Woolwich Arsenal way back in the 1903-04 campaign, the longest winning start in the club’s history.

Arteta, however, is determined that the milestone does not become a distraction.

“We’ve got a really tough opponent tomorrow, so we’re going to have to earn the right to win the game,” the Arsenal manager said.

“But certainly that will be the mindset of the players and the team.”

The Spaniard admitted he was impressed by the squad’s attitude during pre-season, despite limited preparation time after the previous campaign.

“We know how complicated it is to win a football match at this level. So to win seven, it tells the story,” he added.

“After the summer, especially, there were a lot of unknowns about how the players and the team were going to react. But I said from day one, the attitude and what I was seeing, I was really impressed with.”

Arsenal, who dispatched Ipswich Town in the EFL Cup during the week, are currently on a run that matches the seven consecutive victories that launched the 2004-05 Invincibles season.

Yet Arteta refused to look beyond Brighton, stressing the need to stay grounded.

“We just have enough on the plate today to prepare for the game against a really good Brighton tomorrow. And we know how tough that’s going to be.”