Arteta’s unorthodox preparations pay off for Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has revealed the extraordinary lengths he went to during pre-season to prepare his Arsenal players for unexpected disruption, reports BritPanorama.
The Gunners boss deliberately delayed team transport and meals, changed planned routes, reduced the number of massage beds, and increased the temperature inside dressing rooms.
These measures were tested recently when Arsenal’s journey to Italy for their Champions League opener against Napoli was affected by widespread air traffic control problems. Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled on the day, with Arsenal among those impacted.
Despite the chaos, Arsenal managed to reach Naples in time and secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory, leaving Arteta pleased with how his players handled the disruption. “I love those challenges, I try to create them in pre-season,” the Spaniard remarked. “So when they happen, we already experience them and we already know.”
Arteta detailed some of the obstacles he deliberately placed in front of his squad during the summer, including delaying meals and transport. “We’ve done many things, made the dressing room hotter, more difficult, more challenging, less beds,” he explained. The aim, he noted, was to ensure adaptability to different contexts.
His approach has sometimes attracted ridicule, yet Arteta has backed it by guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 22 years last season. This year, the champions have started their title defence impressively and sit level on points with Manchester City at the top of the table ahead of their fixture against Sunderland.
Arsenal and City remain the only teams to win all three of their opening league fixtures. With the victory over Napoli successfully negotiated despite travel chaos, Arteta is set on continuing this winning start.
In the push for glory, his unconventional methods may just be the secret ingredient—after all, in a sport as unpredictable as football, a little preparedness can go a long way.
