Mikel Arteta has opened up on an unusual method he uses to keep his Arsenal squad sharp, admitting that he intentionally creates disruptions to his own team's pre-match routines as a way of building mental resilience.
The Arsenal manager, who has previously drawn attention for unconventional tactics such as hiring pickpockets to steal players' belongings during a team dinner in order to teach them a lesson about awareness, has now confirmed he sometimes turns up the dressing-room heating, alters meal and travel schedules, or removes physio equipment such as massage beds without warning. The goal, according to Arteta, is to ensure his players and staff are conditioned to handle unexpected setbacks calmly rather than being caught off guard.
"I love those challenges," Arteta said. "I try to create them in pre-season. So when they happen, we already experience them and we already know. So, 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, and I don't want the players, the staff as well, panicking."
The timing of Arteta's comments proved notable, coming shortly after Arsenal's flight to Naples was delayed by several hours ahead of a Champions League fixture, a disruption significant enough to force the cancellation of the club's pre-match media commitments. The delay was one of hundreds affecting flights from UK airports that day due to a reported air traffic control fault, meaning Arsenal's travel chaos was far from unique. Still, given Arteta's philosophy on embracing disorder as a training tool, the situation offered an ironic real-world test of his methods, with the squad reportedly able to wait out the delay in relative comfort before departing.
Arsenal have started the season strongly, and Arteta's methods, however unorthodox some might consider them, appear to form part of a broader strategy to maintain focus and composure as the champions look to defend their title. The approach echoes a long tradition in football management of using psychological tactics to gain an edge, from altering stadium conditions to unsettle opponents to more unusual methods aimed at sharpening a squad's own mentality.
Elsewhere in the football world, drama continued to surround Fenerbahce head coach Ismail Kartal, who announced his resignation following a 1-1 home draw with Roma in the Europa League. Kartal's decision came after tensions boiled over during the match, with club president Aziz Yildirim later revealing that a fan had thrown a bottle that struck the coach.
"Some fans threw a bottle at the coach's head this evening during the game. He is upset about it. I just spoke to him. He mentioned the bottle incident and he also complained about being under pressure," Yildirim said, before adding that he had urged Kartal to stay on. "I am his senior, I told him to continue and that's it. We are a family."
Despite Kartal's initial declaration that he would not return to the role, Yildirim's intervention has left the situation somewhat unresolved, with the Fenerbahce hierarchy seemingly keen to keep their coach in place following what was clearly a fraught and emotionally charged night in Istanbul.
As the season progresses, both storylines highlight the psychological pressures present at the top level of the game, whether self-imposed by a manager looking to build mental toughness, or externally driven by fan behaviour and boardroom dynamics in Turkey.
Based on reporting from The Guardian and BBC Sport.