MIKEL ARTETA’S unusual pre-match methods have included lemons, giant domino pieces and an undercover waiter.
But Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko is confident the Gunners boss is close to “surpassing” mentor Pep Guardiola in their battle for the Premier League title.
Arteta has been known to think outside the box when it comes to preparing his squad for big games in the past, using props such as lightbulbs, speakers and flipcharts.
As Arsenal prepare for another title bout with Pep’s Manchester City, Zinchenko revealed: “We had one where every player was given a lemon, a knife and a glass.
“Mikel said, 'Guys, I want you to squeeze these lemons as hard as you can.
“In the end, we will add all of it in a bowl and we will see how much we can achieve together. The juice is our team magic. Everyone starts cutting and squeezing.
“Then Mikel calls time. 'Let's see how much you squeezed.’ He went to one of the players and said, 'Did you squeeze enough?' 'Yes, boss.’ Okay, let me see.'
“He took the lemon, squeezed it and a bit of juice came out, still. He said: ‘Guys, this is the message, you can always add more.
"You can always give more.’ Simple but quite effective.”
Zinchenko added: “Another one I really liked involved hundreds of big domino pieces. We came into the room and saw a ball next to a basket.
“There were very detailed instructions on what size dominos you could use and how they had to set up. Mikel asked us to work together and build this spiral of stones.
“He said: ‘Pay attention to the details and get all your angles right, because if only one stone is out of place, the whole thing breaks down.’
“Each one of us felt the responsibility. You don't want to be the one who lets the team down and have the chain reaction fail.
“Again, a simple idea, but it worked so well to put everybody in good spirits before a big game and remind them that we were in this together.”
At one group dinner, Spanish boss Arteta hired several professional pickpockets to steal phones and wallets from the players to teach them about always being prepared and alert.
And in January 2023, before beating Manchester United at home 3-2 thanks to an injury time winner from Eddie Nketiah, Arteta produced another secret experiment in a lunch meeting.
Zinchenko said: “Mikel announced it was going to be another players vs staff freestyle battle.
"The other day, it had been me against Nicolas Jover, our set piece specialist, and I had won.
“So, the manager says: 'It's rematch today. Alex, let's see if you can do it again’.
“So, I get up and do a few tricks and so on. Then it's Nico's turn. But he's holding his hamstring, saying he's injured and can't play.
“Mikel looks around the room and says: 'We need a substitute. Anyone?' At that moment, a waiter raises his hand. Mikel says: 'Okay. You can try.'
“And guess what? This guy is killing it. He's basically destroying us. He even nutmegs [Bukayo] Saka.
"Everyone's is looking at each other like, 'What the f**k is this? Everyone's cheering him on and laughing.
“Turns out he's a professional freestyler with millions of followers whom Mikel had planted at the hotel as a waiter.
“You realise how much work must have gone into that behind the scenes.
"That guy was there for at least three hours undercover, serving up coffee and cakes and waiting patiently for his big moment.
"The mood in the camp was incredible after that. People were buzzing on the way to the bus. That whole thing really pushed the right buttons.
"But it happens so often. Every one of Mikel's meetings is special.”
Zinchenko added: “Mikel is on a similar level to Pep and might one day surpass him. He is a winner and demands maximum intensity.
“He likes to say: ‘Boys, you must do everything full throttle. Football, partying, or in the bedroom with your wives: everything at full throttle.’”