5 of Mikel Arteta’s strangest managerial tactics at Arsenal

Mikel Arteta is undoubtedly one of the best young managers around today.

Since the end of 2019, the former midfielder has completely transformed Arsenal from a team who could barely qualify for European football, to one closely competing with Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table.

And while a huge reason for this transformative impact has been his clever tactical nous, his rather odd man-manager tactics have also played a part too.

Here’s the strangest stunts Arteta has pulled so far…

One of the high-lights (sorry, we had to) of the Arsenal ‘All or Nothing‘ docuseries was Arteta’s weird and wonderful pre-match team talks.

None were more weird or wonderful than when he whipped out a lightbulb and started pointing it at his players ahead of a Premier League meeting with Brighton.

Here’s his full team talk while holding the lightbulb:

“[Thomas] Edison invented the light bulb. Today, I want to see a team that is connected because a bulb by itself is nothing. I want to see a team that is connected with each other and that shines.

“And you want to transmit to him [your teammate] light and energy and passion and how you play football, and you two the same. And each of us plays the game connected, because what happens when we play connected, guys?

“What is the next thing that happens? That we connect with 60,000 people who create more energy.

“Because at the end is electricity, that through heat creates light and life. Because if not it would be f****** dark if this guy doesn’t have the idea to do that.

“And I want you to play like this today, because as good as we are it depends on one thing.

“What makes us special is our attitude, and today I want you to play with that attitude. Go out there, f****** turn the light on, and play football. Let’s go!”

Arsenal went on to lose the game 2-1.

Although the lightbulb team talk didn’t work, Arteta’s decision to let a long-term club photographer talk to the players ahead of the north London derby in the same season did.

Stuart MacFarlane managed to gee the players up so much that they ended up thumping Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium.

It was only a Nuno Espirito Santo-led Tottenham, but still.

Back in May 2023, Arteta brought a chocolate Labrador to Arsenal’s Colney training ground, where she has taken up residency with her primary carer ever since.

The dog’s name? ‘Win’…of course.

Explaining his…