What Mikel Arteta critics have still not learned after latest Arsenal tactic revealed
Mikel Arteta has helped Arsenal become Premier League champions and yet people still fail to respect some of his unorthodox methods(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
When will they learn? Following a press conference with Mikel Arteta in which he divulged information about what mould-breaking tactics he’d been implementing to better prepare his Arsenal side for this season as defending champions, I, perhaps naively, thought these would intrigue people.
Now, this might be somewhat my own fault for giving views on social media the benefit of the doubt, but the reality is that, again, Arteta finds himself facing scrutiny. Simply being Arsenal manager draws in certain scrutiny that need not be given much attention, so let's ignore that.
Instead, let’s discuss those who are genuinely critical of what Arteta has said. In today’s press conference, I asked Arteta about his routines as manager.
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We’ve heard from the Spaniard before that routines are really important for the players, from travel, to eating, to training times, sleeping and meetings. Keeping as much the same keeps things calmer.
However, the trip to Naples was affected by chaos at UK airports nationwide. I had made it to Naples earlier on Tuesday, with the team set to leave in the afternoon, but their flight was delayed and as a result the pre-match press conference was cancelled, and while the impact was not thought to have been too severe, as shown by the performance the following night, it still forced the team to adapt.
With that in mind, this is what Arteta had to say: “I love those challenges. I try to clear 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, but not only the players, the staff as well, panicking.
“So, when that happens, adapt to it. Okay, 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.”
Off the back of this, Arteta was asked a follow-up later in the press conference. Curious about what it is that he has done in more detail, the Spaniard was able to share some more details.
"Delaying the meals, delaying the transport, taking a different route,” he said. “We've done many things, made the dressing room hotter, more difficult, more challenging, less beds.
“Those kind of things, I think, in my opinion, 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 matchday, I think it's important.”
Sure, it’s somewhat unorthodox, but you would be hard-pressed to say it doesn’t make sense. Arsenal home games at the Emirates Stadium are tailor-made for comfort for the Arsenal players.
You’re in a stadium with the best facilities, surrounded by thousands of fans there to support you, with all the equipment, coaches, staff, comforts, etc. Anyone who has done the stadium tour knows how different the home and away dressing rooms are.
Having got changed for a match inside the away dressing room myself, I can tell you that it would have been far nicer to do so in the home end. But it is still much nicer than grounds away from home in the Premier League, especially in the lower tiers, and of course also abroad.
It’s in the home side’s interest to make the away dressing room unfriendly. At another ground, such as Molineux, the room is not open and has a giant pillar through the middle, so the line of sight is blocked.
While the latest series of Ted Lasso might hyperbolise these antics (spoiler alert) with the gruff Roy Kent going through all the things he’d done to play with the heads of Richmond’s opponents, this stuff really happens.
But also out of either side’s control, from travel to having to sit on planes, trains and coaches for longer than hoped. The old adage of fail to prepare, prepare to fail sits rooted in Arteta’s philosophy.
He’s a Premier League-winning manager, truly, who, other than perhaps Luis Enrique or Pep Guardiola, is well-placed to criticise or worse, mock, methods. I know that it will rile some rival fans up reading what Arteta has done, but that’s mainly because it’s working, leaving Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United and the like still playing catch-up.
Tom Canton joined football.london as the Arsenal Fan Brand Writer and Presenter before becoming a permanent Arsenal Reporter in 2025. Tom produces plenty of analytical content in addition to breaking stories and is a regular attendee at matches and press conferences. Can also be found on YouTube @TheGoonerTalkTV
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