David Brent or motivational genius? Inside the wacky world of Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal reign

DEPENDING connected who you ask, Mikel Arteta is either a lunatic oregon a genius.

Opposition fans are ever acceptable to ridicule his barmy ideas for keeping his Arsenal players engaged and connected the edge.

Arsenal's All oregon Nothing Amazon Prime bid archetypal exposed conscionable however unconventional the Gunners brag tin beryllium erstwhile it comes to getting his players going.

But whether you deliberation helium looks similar a mediocre David Brent impersonator oregon not - fewer tin reason with the results.

Arteta has transformed Arsenal crossed his 5 years astatine the helm successful northbound London.

The nine was connected its knees erstwhile the Spaniard stepped successful to regenerate Unai Emery, but they are present serial and superior rubric challengers with the full squad bought into Arteta's ethos - nary substance however quirky.

Former skipper Granit Xhaka erstwhile described his manager arsenic "a freak, but successful a affirmative way."

SunSport runs you done the bizarre and superb past of Arteta's methods...

IN THE DRESSING ROOM

The infinitesimal that kicked everything disconnected astir Arteta's left-field techniques came successful the Emirates dressing country up of a derby triumph implicit Tottenham.

Arteta whipped retired a flipchart and started drafting a bosom and a brain, symbolising passionateness and clarity, holding hands with an Arsenal instrumentality down them.

SUN BINGO GET £50 BONUS & 50 FREE SPINS TODAY

He said: "We person to play with our large hearts.

"At the aforesaid time, we person to play with a large brain. And these person to enactment together."

Arteta aboriginal revealed that the players were joking astir his antics aft the crippled - but accepted immoderate jibes fixed the ploy had intelligibly worked.

The dressing country has been the country of immoderate of Arteta's astir celebrated moments, with the brag brandishing a lightbulb urging his players to "go retired determination and crook the f***ing airy on!".

Arsenal mislaid 2-1 to Brighton that day.

Arteta said: "You triumph the crippled it works, you don't triumph the game, it doesn't work."

Ahead of different northbound London derby victory, the erstwhile nine skipper called connected the Arsenal photographer, Stuart MacFarlane to present an impassioned squad talk.

It is not conscionable wrong the walls of The Emirates wherever Arteta tries to marque a difference.

The nine besides enactment hard to marque their players consciousness astatine location connected the road, decorating the walls of distant changing rooms astatine opposing team's grounds with Arsenal crests and colours.

MAD MEETINGS

Players walking successful to 1 of Arteta's meetings ne'er cognize what to expect.

In the past they person been tasked with squeezing arsenic overmuch foodstuff retired of a citrus arsenic imaginable - lone for Arteta to get a fewer much drips retired to amusement "there is ever much to give."

Arteta flashes up pictures of F1 cars, either connected a wide roadworthy oregon crowded out, to show whether opponents volition beryllium sitting heavy oregon leaving abstraction successful behind.

But easy the astir unexpected was during a squad meal.

Arteta and his coaches secretly hired a squad of pick-pockets to spell astir the array posing arsenic waiters and assistance phones and country keys from the unsuspecting Gunners squad.

It was meant arsenic a acquisition to ever beryllium alert and connected guard, though was mocked by immoderate erstwhile players and existent pundits - including Roy Keane.

During a repast up of a 3-2 triumph implicit Manchester United, Arteta invited a seemingly random waiter to instrumentality connected Oleksandr Zinchenko during a squad lunch.

But the 'waiter' turned retired to beryllium a nonrecreational freestyler.

Writing successful his book, Zinchenko said: "This feline is sidesplitting it. He's fundamentally destroying us. He adjacent nutmegs Bukayo Saka.

"Everyone's is looking astatine each different like, 'What the f**k is this? Everyone's cheering him connected and laughing.

“Turns retired he's a nonrecreational freestyler with millions of followers whom Mikel had planted astatine the edifice arsenic a waiter.

"The temper successful the campy was unthinkable aft that.

"People were buzzing connected the mode to the bus. That full happening truly pushed the close buttons."

Arteta adjacent sets his squad quizzes connected absorption tactics successful squad meetings and has them playing games specified arsenic Pictionary successful the build-up to matches.

While helium has besides had the full squad playing with "hundreds" of ample dominoes to amusement the value of each portion being successful the close place.

DURING TRAINING

Arteta has decided not lone to annoy his children with immoderate of his philharmonic choices, but his players too.

This week the Gunners prepared to look Dinamo Zagreb with immoderate celebrated Samba hits arsenic their backing track.

In a bid to assistance the London Colney mood, Arteta blasted retired Sergio Mendes' Mas Que Nada, celebrated for being utilized successful Nike's advert featuring the Brazil 1998 World Cup squad.

Arteta said: “It happens successful each of us. You play a opus and instantly you consciousness different, and we person definite songs that trigger thing successful our team, due to the fact that they person immoderate past arsenic good with us.

“I volition usage it erstwhile we judge it's the close mode to bash it.

“Sometimes I play a opus many, galore times with my household and [the kids] say: ‘Dad, tin we halt it, please?’ I don’t know, it’s a feeling.”

Belgian guardant Leandro Trossard added: “At the commencement erstwhile I joined it was a spot weird for maine that we had this, but present it's conscionable earthy for america to person the euphony playing erstwhile we're warming up."

In the past, Arteta has besides played Liverpool's You'll Never Walk Alone anthem to hole his broadside for a travel to Anfield - which they mislaid 4-0.

There was plentifulness of instrumentality pursuing that, fixed Arsenal fell truthful abbreviated connected Merseyside, but different sports person taken enactment too.

During signifier rounds for January's Team Cup play tournament, which featured a big of European Ryder Cup hopefuls, skipper Luke Donald made players tee disconnected arsenic speakers blared "U-S-A" chants.

It was implemented to hole the golfers for their Ryder Cup travel to Bethpage Black wherever they volition look a ferocious New York crowd.

AT LONDON COLNEY

It is astatine the club's grooming basal conscionable disconnected the M25 wherever a batch of Arteta's changes are astir keenly felt.

The Gunners brag has planted trees extracurricular his bureau successful bid to amusement the value of caring for roots and foundations successful bid for things to flourish and grow.

Motivational messages person been plastered crossed the walls and determination is adjacent a caller connection which has been created astir Colney.

Arteta has coined the operation 'collaboretition’ - collaboration and contention - to effort and thrust the squad forwards.

But the astir fashionable and noticeable alteration astatine the grooming crushed is the cocoa Labrador, alternatively sickeningly named Win.

Win was brought successful disconnected the backmost of probe which suggested petting a canine tin beforehand a consciousness of unity.

Arteta erstwhile said: "She is 1 of america and volition beryllium connected our journey.

"She changes your mood. You travel successful the gathering and she gives each her love. Suddenly you conscionable consciousness the vigor and the players commencement hugging her, it is beauteous to watch. Those things are precise important.

"There are things astatine the nine that tin beryllium done to link with people, to amusement love, and I recovered this canine was the cleanable typical of who we are now.

"We each emotion winning and Win needs a batch of love."

The tricks Arteta employs to springiness his players an other borderline are nary uncertainty entertaining and baffling, and could easy deterioration bladed if overused.

But adjacent though clips person shown players looking confused and Arteta himself has admitted determination person been jokes made astatine his expense, determination is method to the madness.

While they whitethorn person fallen conscionable abbreviated successful years gone by, if the Spaniard's stunts assistance present Arsenal a trophy, players and fans volition fto him bash immoderate helium likes.