MIKEL ARTETA is willing to try anything to gain an extra inch in his pursuit of silverware.
The Arsenal manager’s latest out-of-the-box thinking involves transforming the dreary weather of London Colney into a sun-kissed Samba Boys beach through the medium of MUSIC.
Ahead of their penultimate Champions League group phase match against Dinamo Zagreb tomorrow tonight, Arteta’s injury-plagued Gunners squad trudged out for training in chilly conditions at their North London base.
But their moods were instantly lifted by a popular Brazilian tune blasting through several speakers around the pitches as they started their warm-up – the song in question being Mais Que Nada by Sergio Mendes.
A beaming Arteta was clearly enjoying its impact, getting involved in the Rondo's with his players to a soundtrack most people associate with Samba legends Ronaldinho and Kaka.
And Arteta explained: “It's something we've been doing for many years now.
“And as part of training we use music as another element of our sessions to build the energy, to change some purposes that we want in the training session and I think the players enjoy it.
“It depends on the drill, depends on the day. Some players pick the first song, the first two songs, the last song. It's definitely interesting.”
Arsenal and Arteta are in dire need of a mood change after a gruelling month that has seen them crash out of the FA Cup to Manchester United in the third round on penalties and lose the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final 2-0 at home to Newcastle.
Their Prem title dreams have also taken another knock, blowing a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Aston Villa on Saturday night – leaving them six points off Liverpool who have a game in hand.
Meanwhile, their treatment room is filling up with key figures Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Ben White and Takehiro Tomiyasu still on the road to recovery.
In November 2021, Arteta tried to prepare his players for a trip to Anfield by playing the anthem ‘You’ll Never Walk Alone’ during a training session, only to get smashed 4-0.
Arteta continued: “Music is very much part of our culture. We have music in a lot of different places, and music has the capacity to change your mood, to change your energy to a certain place.
“It happens in all of us. You play a song and immediately you feel different, and we have certain songs that trigger something in our team, because they have some history as well with us.
“I will use it when we believe it's the right way to do it.
“Sometimes I play a song many, many times with my family and [the kids] say: ‘Dad, can we stop it, please?’ I don’t know, it’s a feeling.”
Winger Leandro Trossard – who is set to make his 100th appearance in all competitions for Arsenal after signing from Brighton two years ago this week – added: “I'm not sure who's on the tunes when we're doing the warm-up. You just get used to it, I guess.
“At the start when I joined it was a bit weird for me that we had this, but now it's just natural for us to have the music playing when we're warming up.
“[Arteta’s methods] are a bit different to any other manager I had. But it helps players on some days to focus more and get the meaning, the importance of the game.”
Despite having two-and-a-half years with an option of a further 12 months left on his contract, Trossard has been linked with a move away from Arsenal this term.
The Belgian has started just 14 Prem games term, and often shows his disappointment through grumpy facial expressions, with Arteta jokingly calling him a “moaner” in the past.
Trossard laughed: “I wouldn't use moan. I'm just a winner. If something goes against me and I think it's unfair, I think that's really personal, I would say. That’s how I am.
“That should be the mind-set of every footballer. I don’t do it on purpose, maybe my body language at that point could be, but I am always ready. Even if I am on the bench, I can make an impact.”
Arsenal can take a huge leap towards confirming a top eight spot in the new league format of the Champions League with victory over Fabio Cannavaro’s Dinamo Zagreb.
With his men in third place with 13 points from six outings, Arteta said: “We are in a really strong position and now we try to capitalise.
“I don’t want [my players] to feel unlucky with recent results. We have to control what we can control. Is there anything better we could have done to win [against Villa] by a big margin? Yes.
“We focus on that. Now it is in our hands to change it and move forward.”
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