THE ULTIMATE MICROMANAGER
Football coaches have long relied on psychological tricks and behind-the-scenes disruption to gain an advantage over visiting opponents. From positioning changing-room hooks unusually high and installing uncomfortably low seats to painting walls in supposedly calming shades or shifting advertising boards to obstruct long throw-ins, some coaching teams will try almost anything that might improve their prospects. Nearly four decades ago, Wimbledon’s notorious Crazy Gang reportedly denied visitors at Plough Lane access to hot water. The idea sounded brilliantly simple, except players usually shower after the final whistle, meaning the tactic was unlikely to affect their performance during the match.
Mikel Arteta has already faced mockery for employing pickpockets to secretly take watches, phones and wallets from his players during a team meal, supposedly teaching them to remain alert and focused. It is therefore not especially surprising that the Arsenal manager sometimes disrupts his own squad’s match preparations to test their adaptability. He has admitted to raising dressing-room temperatures, changing meal and travel schedules, and removing massage tables from the treatment room so his players become accustomed to unexpected problems. Critics may dismiss these methods as amateur psychology, but if a warm dining area or a delayed coach helps Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka handle pressure on the way to a league title, Arteta will probably consider the experiment worthwhile.
Arteta said he enjoys presenting the squad with these tests during pre-season so everyone knows how to react when genuine disruption occurs. His exercises can involve reaching a stadium later than planned or suddenly altering a familiar routine. Flights can be missed, trains may be delayed and heavy traffic can cause problems, so he wants both players and staff to respond calmly rather than panic. That preparation became particularly relevant when Arsenal’s flight to Naples was delayed for several hours, forcing the club to cancel its scheduled pre-match media appearances.
Arsenal’s journey was among hundreds of flights from British airports affected by an air traffic control technical failure. There is, of course, no evidence that the 44-year-old coach from San Sebastián had anything to do with the disruption that ruined other travellers’ plans. While frustrated passengers waited in crowded terminals, Arsenal’s players were presumably able to remain composed in the business lounge, putting their manager’s carefully arranged resilience training into practice.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
Fenerbahce head coach Ismail Kartal declared that he had resigned and would not return after his team’s 1-1 home draw with Roma in the Bigger Cup.
Fenerbahce president Aziz Yildrim later explained that a supporter had thrown a bottle at Kartal’s head during the match, leaving the coach distressed. According to Yildrim, Kartal also spoke about the pressure he was facing, but the president encouraged him to remain in charge and emphasized that the club considers itself a family.
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