One of Mikel Arteta’s players has disclosed a special strategy the Gunners’ manager uses to “trick” other managers.
Arteta, 42, will be hoping his side’s fortunes change when they return to play with a home fixture against Nottingham Forest on Saturday 23 November.
The north Londoners were in bad form prior to the November break, having lost their last three games in all competitions. As a result, they dropped to 12th in the 36-team Champions League group phase and fourth in the Premier League, nine points behind league leaders Liverpool.
With important players like Declan Rice, William Saliba, and Martin Odegaard already missing crucial games because of suspension or injury, questions have been raised about the strength and depth of Arsenal’s roster.
But another of Arteta’s players has exposed his manager’s “trickery.”
The 27-year-old Oleksandr Zinchenko described how the Spaniard enjoys “playing games” with his competitor managers in order to have an advantage before games.
“[He] likes to play games with the opposition,” Zinchenko told The Athletic.
“I’ve seen him tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag to put the other manager off the scent.”
In response to accusations that he had engaged in “mind games” about Bukayo Saka’s fitness prior to the team’s 2-2 draw with title rivals Liverpool in October, the 42-year-old insisted that he would respond, “He’s not fit,” if this were the case.
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However, Arteta also cautioned that opponents need to “do their homework” before facing the Gunners. Having only made three appearances in the league this season, Zinchenko has recently lost favour.
In the past, “mind games” were a popular practice. During their successful tenures as Premier League managers, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger, and Sir Alex Ferguson frequently used “tricks” in the lead-up to important games.
At a press conference on September 21 ahead of City’s 2-2 draw against Arsenal on September 22, Zinchenko’s former manager, Pep Guardiola, acknowledged that he is “not good” when asked if he could try to use the tactic during the title race. This suggests that “mind games” are not used as much in the modern game.
