Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has disclosed a series of unconventional tactics employed during pre-season training, designed to foster adaptability and resilience among his players and staff. These methods included deliberately delaying transportation and meal times, removing massage beds, and increasing the temperature in changing rooms.
Arteta stated that his aim is to prepare the team for unexpected challenges. "I love those challenges, I try to create them in pre-season. So when they happen, we already experience them and we already know," Arteta said. He elaborated that if disruptions occur, such as missed flights or delayed trains, he wants his players and staff to adapt rather than panic or use the situation as an excuse. "Use it, but certainly don't complain and then use it as an excuse because that's not helpful at all."
Among the specific pre-season measures, Arteta mentioned "just delaying the meals, delaying the transport, taking a different route." He also noted that the team "made the dressing room hotter, more difficult, more challenging, less beds." The manager believes these experiences help the team adapt to various contexts and improve their ability to handle stressful situations on matchdays.
Arteta's methods have drawn attention previously. In 2021, he was noted for using speakers during training sessions and once hired 'pickpockets' to maintain player alertness. Despite some past skepticism regarding his unusual approaches, Arteta successfully guided Arsenal to their first league title in 22 years last season. The club currently holds a perfect winning record in their opening three league matches of the new campaign, sharing the top of the Premier League table with Manchester City.