Sensational, Arteta has deliberately sabotaged Arsenal, even causing flight delays: in Naples it worked

Arsenal led by Mikel Arteta is not only an organized, beautiful to look at and absolutely solid team. The hand of its coach lies at the foundation of the extraordinary results of the Londoners, who, over these years, have managed to grow exponentially, until winning the Premier League title after 22 years and in the Champions League final, then lost to PSG last May. The merits of the Spaniard Arteta, however, are not only related to the adopted game system or a well-thought-out transfer market, but also to the method and psychological preparation of the team in the face of any unexpected event. Arteta had really thought of everything: during Arsenal's last training camp, he deliberately sabotaged the team's preparation in order to prepare it as best as possible for the season.

The manager deliberately delayed travel, raised the temperature in the dressing rooms, removed the massage beds and delayed meals. Arteta wanted the group to get used to the idea that things could go wrong before the official matches. The trip to Naples represented an involuntary version of the same test: problems with air traffic control delayed the team's flight to Italy, leading to the cancellation of the press conference. And it worked, as the team was already used to this kind of surprise, which immediately appeared at the Gunners' home in the first transfer in the Champions League. Arteta, therefore, by his own statement, had deliberately made the players arrive late during the gathering, to teach them to cope with any situation before the match.

The coach's idea was to prepare the team for any eventuality before a match or a transfer. The Spaniard doesn't want his players to be caught off guard by the unexpected, such as a flight delay that could cause dinner to be postponed, causing them to then take to the pitch with less rest than usual. "I don't want the players and staff to panic," Arteta explained. "When something like this happens, we have to adapt. We have two or three hours on the plane: how can we use them? Play together, spend time together, sleep. But we shouldn't complain or use it as an excuse, because it doesn't serve us anything."

In the past, Arteta had even tasked his former coach, Tom Allen, with hiring a pickpocket to rob his players during a dinner party. The thief disguised himself as a waiter during the meal and, after dinner, Arteta held a pre-match team meeting during which he showed the players the items that had been stolen. This strategy served to make it clear how opposing teams would try to use every possible tactic to gain an advantage: Arteta wanted his team to be ready for anything and to maintain concentration at all times. A method that may seem strange, but which, judging by the results, is proving absolutely effective.