Arsenal coach, Mikel Arteta, has been employing unique methods to keep his players on their toes, according to Oleksandr Zinchenko. The Ukrainian defender, who previously worked under Arteta at Manchester City before joining Arsenal in 2022, revealed some of the intriguing tactics used by the Spanish manager.
Zinchenko disclosed that Arteta once arranged for professional pickpockets to steal from the players as a team-building exercise, only to have the stolen items returned shortly after. In another surprising move, Arteta organised a freestyle football challenge between the players and staff before a match. The twist came when a new waiter, who turned out to be a professional freestyler, outperformed Zinchenko and left the players in awe.
Despite the unconventional management stunts, Arsenal under Arteta has shown improvement on the pitch. The Gunners have finished second behind Zinchenko’s former club, Manchester City, in the past two seasons. Currently, Arsenal sits in third place in the ongoing campaign, trailing Liverpool by four points and City by three.
In their most recent match against Bournemouth, Arsenal faced a 2-0 defeat after being reduced to 10 men for the third time this season. Nevertheless, Zinchenko’s revelations shed light on Arteta’s creative approach to motivating and energising the team, ultimately leading to a positive atmosphere among the players.