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The Athletic UK has published an exclusive column on Mikel Arteta.
All in all, despite Arsenal’s defeat, they put in a solid performance at the Etihad Stadium after weeks of underwhelming displays.
Their uptick in form may well be no accident, thanks to Mikel Arteta’s inspirational and unorthodox training methods (first reported by The Athletic). He not only urged his players to “play with fire” but also literally lit a bonfire to reinforce the metaphor.
This kind of approach is nothing new at Arsenal’s training ground. Previously, Arteta once held up a light bulb to symbolize energy and intensity, hired pickpockets to steal players’ belongings to remind them to stay aware of their surroundings, and even kept a training dog named “Win”.
Last week, Arteta tried several other striking metaphors in an attempt to bring out the best in his players. Row Z has exclusively obtained all the methods he used.
A giant 50-foot hydraulic press was installed at the training ground to remind the players to “press hard and aggressively”.
A grand piano was placed in the team meeting room, where Arteta played a flawless and moving concerto, before whispering to Martin Ødegaard: “Your turn.”
Every player was given a loaf of bread, after which Arteta shouted through a megaphone: “We have to toughen up!”
Mirrors were hung on every wall and in every room at the London Colney Training Centre. “I want you to look at yourselves in the mirror,” Arteta said. With that, the team talk was over.
Before travelling to Manchester, the entire squad was given a private tour of Big Ben. As they returned to the team bus, Arteta raised his arms high, looked up at the giant clock, and declared rousingly: “Our time has come.”
For the entire week, the players were only served soft foods such as scrambled eggs, yoghurt, and strawberry-flavored angel desserts. No one knew why.
Then Christian Mosquera had a sudden flash of inspiration. He stood up at lunch and said: “Gaffer, I think I get it… you want us to play more aggressively, don’t you?”
Arteta smiled and nodded: “You start on Sunday.”
