
I disrupted pre-season travel plans to prepare players - Arteta
Mikel Arteta says Arsenal were ready for their midweek Champions League flight delay - because he deliberately disrupted their training and travel plans in pre-season to prepare them.

Mikel Arteta says Arsenal were ready for their midweek Champions League flight delay - because he deliberately disrupted their training and travel plans in pre-season to prepare them.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta says he deliberately sabotaged the club's travel plans during pre-season - to get his players used to difficulties on the road.

Manager wants players to cope with things going wrong Other tactics include making dressing room even hotter Mikel Arteta has revealed that he likes to set players challenges, such as delaying their meals before matches and making the dressing room hotter, to ensure they are fully prepared for any eventuality. Arsenal’s flight to Italy for their Champions League opener against Napoli this week was delayed for more than five hours , with Arteta forced to cancel his pre-match press conference after the squad arrived in Naples just before 10pm local time. The disruption proved no handicap as they made it 13 successive league-stage victories in Europe, thanks to Martin Ødegaard’s second-half winner . Continue reading...

Manager wants players to cope with things going wrong Other tactics include making dressing room even hotter Mikel Arteta has revealed that he likes to set players challenges, such as delaying their meals before matches and making the dressing room hotter, to ensure they are fully prepared for any eventuality. Arsenal’s flight to Italy for their Champions League opener against Napoli this week was delayed for more than five hours , with Arteta forced to cancel his pre-match press conference after the squad arrived in Naples just before 10pm local time. The disruption proved no handicap as they made it 13 successive league-stage victories in Europe, thanks to Martin Ødegaard’s second-half winner . Continue reading...

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta is believed to be close to finalising a new contract with Premier League champions Arsenal.

It’s still very early but Mikel Arteta’s side are playing with an authority and freshness that eluded them at times last season Sign up for our free newsletter here Three league games played, three games won . For Arsenal this season could only have started better if Manchester City, who look like being one of their two most serious challengers, had dropped points. But it’s not just about results: Arsenal have been comfortably the better side in each of those three games, approaching each of them in very different ways. After the controlled victory over Coventry City and the tight game against Aston Villa that was won thanks to ratcheting up the pressure in the 15 minutes after half-time, came success in a far more open game in which they conceded for the first time this season. Chelsea tested Arsenal on Sunday, went ahead, and yet Mikel Arteta’s side still always looked like they would win – even if it did take a superb late save from David Raya to keep out an Estevão shot. But the goalkeeper too is part of their strength; even if an opposing team can work a shooting opportunity, Raya has the capacity for spectacular saves that can dispirit opponents. This is an extract from Soccer Desk, a newsletter from the Guardian US. Subscribe for free here. Continue reading...

Arteta's endorsement of Chelsea as title contenders highlights the competitive landscape shift, emphasizing tactical evolution and managerial impact.