11 Sept 2026 16:12 BST |
3 min read
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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta says he deliberately sabotaged some of his squad’s pre-season match preparations in order for them to be ready for a wide spectrum of different challenges this season.
Just this week, the Gunners arrived in Naples late for their Champions League clash against Napoli, which impacted their preparations for the game.
While other managers may have reacted angrily to the interruptions to the team schedule, Arteta took it in his stride as he has been testing such scenarios in the background for months. In fact, he even admitted to loving such challenges.
“I try to create them in pre-season,” he said.
“So when they happen, we have already experienced them and we already know. Get to the stadium very late, change the routine as soon as the players have to do something else.
“Because when it happens, and it can happen – you can miss the flight, the train can be delayed, there’s so much traffic – I don’t want the players, but not only the players, the staff as well, panicking.
“So, when that happens, adapt to it. OK, we have another two or three hours on the plane, how can we use them? Play together, spend some time together, sleep, use it, but certainly don’t complain and then use it as an excuse because that’s not helpful at all.”
When pressed about specifics, he admitted to causing travel delays, interfering with player meals and even turning up the heat in the dressing room.
“Delaying the meals, delaying the transport, taking a different route,” the Spaniard revealed.
“We’ve done many things: made the dressing room hotter, more difficult, more challenging, less beds [massage tables].
“Those kind of things, because we’re going to have to adapt to different contexts, and we’ll try to anticipate it and create the best possible conditions. But when there is not that element of surprise or stress on match day, I think it’s important.”
Arteta is known for using unusual exercises to prepare Arsenal players for pressure and distractions, rather than relying solely on conventional training drills. He reportedly once used professional pickpockets to demonstrate the importance of awareness and concentration.
He has also recreated hostile match environments in training. Before a game at Liverpool, for example, Arsenal trained with You’ll Never Walk Alone played over speakers to simulate the atmosphere at Anfield.
The Gunners won the Premier League for the first time in two decades in 2025/26 and they are the favourites to win again in 2026/27. They are one of only two clubs to hold a 100% record in their opening three league games, alongside Manchester City.
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