Mikel Arteta has revealed that he deliberately disrupts Arsenal’s pre-season routines to prepare his players for unexpected problems such as the travel delays they experienced ahead of their Champions League clash with Napoli.
The Premier League champions were hit by air traffic control issues while travelling to Italy on Wednesday, eventually arriving three hours later than scheduled.
However, Arteta insists Arsenal were prepared for the disruption because he regularly creates similar challenges during pre-season.
“I love those challenges, I try to create them in pre-season,” Arteta said ahead of Saturday’s Premier League trip to Sunderland.
“So when they happen, we have already experienced them and we are ready.
“Get to the stadium very late, change the routine so the players have to do something else. When it happens, and it can - the flight can be cancelled, or the train is delayed, there is so much traffic, I don’t want the players and staff panicking.
“When that happens, adapt to it. We have two or three hours on the plane - can we use it? Play together, spend some time together, sleep.
“But don’t complain or use it as an excuse because it’s not helpful at all.”
Arteta explained that his preparation methods can include delaying meals and transport, taking different routes to stadiums and even making the dressing room hotter and less comfortable.
The Arsenal manager believes exposing his players to unexpected situations helps reduce stress and prevents disruption from becoming a distraction on matchdays.
It is not the first time Arteta has used unconventional methods to prepare his squad.
The Spaniard once brought a light bulb into the dressing room as part of a message encouraging his players to bring energy and “shine”.
On another occasion, Arteta hired professional pickpockets to attend a team dinner and secretly take phones and wallets from players, using the exercise to teach his squad the importance of remaining alert.
In 2023, he introduced a dog named Win to Arsenal’s training ground in an effort to boost morale and reinforce the idea of the squad being a family.
Arteta is also open to others adopting similarly unusual approaches. In April, a fire was lit at Arsenal’s training ground before the club hosted Sporting in the Champions League.
For Arteta, the purpose behind the unconventional methods is simple: prepare his players for uncertainty so that when unexpected problems arise, Arsenal can adapt rather than make excuses.
