Mikel Arteta reveals his new name for substitutes in incredible bid to boost squad morale for Premier League title push
MIKEL ARTETA admits that he never stops thinking of new motivation methods to keep his Arsenal players on course for a Premier League and Europa League double.
Last weekend’s 3-0 win at Fulham was celebrated in the visitors’ dressing room with a giant replica of the famous Arsenal clock and the club crest plastered all over the walls to make Craven Cottage feel more like the Emirates.
Outside the players’ entrance at the Gunners’ London Colney training ground, Arteta has had the words "train to win" concreted into the path.
And he regularly has a DJ pumping out tunes on the side of the training pitch to get his players up and running.
He was widely derided when he blasted out "You’ll Never Walk Alone" ahead of a 4-0 defeat at Anfield.
But no one is laughing now Arsenal are five points clear at the top of the table and bidding to reach the Europa League quarter-finals this evening following last week’s 2-2 draw at Sporting Lisbon.
READ MORE TOP FOOTBALL
Arteta said: “I think every game needs something different and we are always looking at what we have to throw at the boys.
“We try to give them exactly what they need to make the team better and get the right mindset with the right energy and confidence levels.
“Of course if you only judge it on results alone, that’s something different. But the response as individuals and as a group is always really good.
“The way I measure it is by looking in their faces, their attitude, their behaviour, then I look at the video and analyse what I can see.”
Most read in Football
BETTING SPECIAL - BEST FOOTBALL BETTING SITES IN THE UK
Arteta has even taken to referring to his substitutes as "impactors" after a long summer chat with former England rugby coach Eddie Jones and a number of other leading coaches from various sporting fields.
He said: “It’s something that we wanted to change and I discussed it with a few people to help us find something that particularly suited us.
“It’s the best way to express how we feel about the subs and how they have to feel about their role, especially on match days.
“The idea is to replace somebody and make the team better or to do something different to win the game.
“And the more you repeat that phrase, the closer you get to the mentality of having an impact on the game rather than just being a sub.
“I’m not saying it makes the players on the bench feel less disappointed because everybody wants to start.
“But every manager has their own way of doing things and this is about managing the group so they know their role and making sure that everyone is still motivated to help the team.”
Thursday's match will be Arsenal’s first European knockout game in front of a full Emirates since they were dumped out by Olympiacos in February 2020.
And Arteta said: “It’s been a long time since we had one of these special European nights and we have to build that back.
“The supporters have to enjoy coming to these games and the team has to give them the right reasons to be part of that.
“Hopefully this match can be the start of a nice journey.”
Fit-again Brazil striker Gabriel Jesus is available for the game after making his comeback as a late sub in Sunday's victory at Fulham — but is unlikely to start.
Arteta said: “Gabi is feeling good and training every day. He says his sensations are better and better, which is really positive.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
“But we still have to manage his minutes and his involvement in the team.”
ARSENAL (likely): Turner, Tomiyasu, Saliba, Gabriel, Tierney, Odegaard, Jorginho, Vieira, Nelson, Trossard, Martinelli.