Monday Morning Coffee: Mikel Arteta’s Masterminds of Theft

03/11/2025 14:58:00 PlaymakerHub

During the championship season with a 49-match unbeaten streak, after Arsenal came from behind to beat Wolves 3-1 despite trailing in the first half, Wolves’ sports psychologist Tim Obrien approached Arsene Wenger at halftime to ask what had happened during the break.

1. The French coach candidly explained that he told Arsenal players Wolves would soon run out of mental strength in the second half after having to maintain focus for too long, and that this was Arsenal’s opportunity to demonstrate their superior quality.

This meeting led to a turning point: after noticing Obrien’s special concern for player psychology, Wenger invited him to work for Arsenal just a few months later.

Before each important match, Wenger would distribute a small leaflet co-written with the psychologist, containing motivational content. These little notes reminded players about team spirit, their shared experiences, and how to manage themselves in difficult situations.

They succeeded together for a long time, and coincidentally, since Obrien left the team in 2013, Arsenal has also experienced dark times.

2. Before the new season began, Mikel Arteta stunned English football by hiring a team of professional pickpockets to clear players’ phones and wallets during a dinner.

The reason was to remind players to always maintain focus and high alertness. Arsenal frequently struggled with this whenever they were on a strong run toward the championship, and Arteta thought such a trick might be helpful.

Arteta has worked hard with one sole goal over the past six years: to cure Arsenal’s psychological illness.

This has been Arteta’s main focus in recent years. He bought a 150-year-old olive tree and planted it along the path from the team’s office to the training ground, ensuring players see it daily and sense something common among them: the tree grows every day thanks to the collective. He also keeps a Labrador named "Win," meaning victory, treating it as a kind of spiritual symbol.

Once a long-term member of Arsenal after the 49-match unbeaten era, Arteta understands the greatest weakness preventing them from becoming champions. In 2011, in an interview with FourFourTwo, he said: "The most important thing is to enter the pitch with a winning mindset. You can’t control pressure, only yourself and the match. If you believe in your talent, it will shine."

After the victory over Burnley, Arsenal matched the record set by legendary coach George Graham’s Arsenal team: seven consecutive wins without conceding a goal. They didn’t even let the opponent have a single shot on target, playing a tight game and, more importantly, showing the true iron spirit: they would win.

The win was decided in the first half through dominant and relentless play. Arsenal maintained the frightening stability that has become their trademark this season: goals from set pieces, fierce defense of their half, and collective determination forcing opponents to surrender. "I think the first half was one of the best halves we’ve ever played," Arteta said. "Scoring two goals, creating two to three clear chances, and not conceding."

Arteta has led Arsenal for six seasons, and the team has never truly felt secure during phases requiring sustained focus. But what has happened shows he is the best fit for this club: for over half a decade, the Spanish coach has focused on solving one major issue: psychology.

Looking back, he is still almost without trophies. An FA Cup or a few Community Shields are just consolation prizes compared to the Premier League or Champions League. But after the legendary Wenger era, why is Arteta so trusted?

Perhaps because the club management understands that besides him, no one else can bring this team back to its golden era. Arteta not only knows the weaknesses deeply embedded in Arsenal players’ identities but is also determined to change them, using unconventional methods like hiring thieves to pick players’ pockets as a reminder to stay focused.

It’s unknown if Arsenal will stumble again at the gates of paradise by season’s end, but at least they are making progress. Although sometimes that progress comes at a high cost: six years without trophies. Yet at least the club clearly knows where it is heading.

Pham An

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