Mikel Arteta is no stranger to using unconventional methods to send messages to his Arsenal squad, but his latest stunt may well be his strangest yet.
The Gunners manager’s motivational tactics were showcased during the Amazon Prime documentary ‘All or Nothing’ which charted Arsenal’s progress throughout the rollercoaster 2021/22 season.
After avoiding the sack following a disastrous run of three straight defeats, Arteta mastermined an impressive turnaround that came within a whisker of yielding Champions League qualificiation.
Along the way, Arteta attempted to prepare his side for a game at Anfield by bringing speakers out onto the training pitch in an attempt to recreate the famous hostile Anfield atmosphere.
The Spaniard also reminded his players of Ivan Toney’s antagonistic tweet by highlighting it on a projector screen in the home dressing room at the Emirates Stadium prior to a rematch against Brentford.
And who could forget the team talk which saw Arteta bizarrely use a lightbulb to gee up his players before a match against Brighton when he got his players to make a circle around him as he urged them to create energy and electricity.
‘(Thomas) Edison invented the light bulb,’ Arteta said. ‘Today I want to see a team that is connected because a bulb by itself is nothing. I want to see a team that is connected with each other and that shines.
‘Because at the end is electricity, that through heat creates light and life. Because if not it would be f dark if this guy doesn’t have the idea to do that.
‘What makes us special is our attitude, and today I want you to play with that attitude. Go out there, f turn the light on, and play football. Let’s go!’
All of that pales into comparison, however, when compared with the employment of pickpockets at a team dinner.
The thieves were tasked with surreptitiously removing personal items such as wallets and phones from the players without them noticing.
At the end of the meal, Arsenal players were shocked to find they were missing some of their belongings which, according to The Athletic, was a coded warning from Arteta, reminding his staff that they should be alert at all times.
Arsenal certainly looked prepared last night as they continued their pre-season campaign with a 4-0 win over German champions Bayer Leverkusen at a packed Emirates Stadium.
‘We can take a lot of positives from the game as well as the result,’ said Arteta after the match. ‘The way we performed, there were lots of positive aspects, collectively and individually.
‘I think we’ll take a lot from it. A lot of things to learn from it as well. I think we can improve, especially in the second half when we made seven changes. But again, a really good test, a really good team who are really well coached and it was a good performance.’
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