Mikel Arteta made a small change at the training ground which had a positive effect on the Arsenal squad during the title run-in.
Arteta is renowned for his meticulous and at times unconventional approach to management, particularly when it comes to the psychological fine-tuning of his squad.
Another example of his more quietly effective interventions this season has been revealed — and it had nothing to do with what happened on the pitch.
Speaking on Miguel Delaney’s Inside Football, the journalist revealed that Arteta made a deliberate decision to remove all sports news and news channels from the screens at London Colney, replacing them with 90s and early 2000s music instead.
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“These are the sort of mundane little details that seem like they shouldn’t matter but they do in a sporting environment like this,” Delaney said. “They’re unperceived but they do make the difference.
“Arteta was obviously aware of how the noise was affecting Arsenal coming in. So at the training ground, he insisted to get rid of all sports news or news channels and put on 90s and early 2000s music.”
It may sound trivial, but with the team under intense scrutiny during a title race, Arteta insisted on cutting out all the outside noise and making sure everyone within Arsenal is focused only on Arsenal.
How Mikel Arteta managed Arsenal’s squad through the run-in
The music change was just one of several subtle but significant decisions Mikel Arteta made during the run-in.
Eberechi Eze had a blunt private conversation with the manager during a difficult spell, telling him the squad needed more space and recovery time.
Arteta listened, and reduced the intensity of the training sessions and started giving his players more days off.
In the week before the 1-0 win over Burnley that set up the title win, Arteta gave his players three days off following one of the most emotionally draining weeks of the entire campaign.
A 3-0 thrashing of Fulham, a Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid, and a hard-fought 1-0 win at West Ham had taken their toll.
On the Thursday, the squad had a barbecue. On the Saturday, a light session. By Monday night against Burnley, they felt free.
The team were obviously given the day off following Tuesday night’s title-winning celebrations, which Declan Rice spent on the golf course.
Now they have one more Premier League game to look forward to before Budapest, one in which they will receive a guard of honour and lift the Premier League trophy.
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