Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed small pranks he has played on his squad in order to keep them on their toes and prevent them from 'panicking'10:55, 11 Sep 2026Mikel Arteta has revealed he sets bizarre traps for his Arsenal players to get them ready for the “challenges” of the season.‌Arteta says he turns up the heating on air conditioning in the dressing room, removes massage beds and deliberately delays bus trips and meal times.‌Gunners boss Arteta clearly enjoys the little mind games with his squad but he says it serves a serious purpose so they do not “panic” when difficulties arise.‌Arteta was talking after Arsenal’s plane to Naples was delayed by three hours this week because of air traffic control difficulties.The Spaniard is known for his attention to detail - and says he deliberately sabotaged the preparation in pre-season with things like making sure there were not enough massage beds to go round.FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news and more on our dedicated Facebook page‌Arteta said: “I love those challenges. I try to clear them in pre-season. So when they happen, we already experience them and we already know.“So, get to the stadium very late, change the routine as soon as the players have to do something else.‌“Because when it happens, and it can happen, you can miss the flight, the train can be delayed, there's so much traffic, and I don't want the players, but not only the players, the staff as well, panicking.“So, when that happens, adapt to it. Okay, we have another two or three hours on the plane, how can we use them? Play together, spend some time together, sleep, use it, but certainly don't complain and then use it as an excuse because that's not helpful at all.”When asked whether he would even go to the lengths of delaying a flight, Arteta added: “We can't get that done yet, but just delaying the meals, delaying the transport, taking a different route.‌“We've done many things, made the dressing room hotter, more difficult, more challenging, less beds. Those kind of things, I think, in my opinion, because we're going to have to adapt to different contexts, and we'll try to anticipate it and create the best possible conditions.“But when there is not that element of surprise or stress on match day, I think it's important.”It is not the first time Arteta has done wacky things to keep the players on their toes. In the past, Arteta even got a team of pick pockets to prey on the players during a dinner to keep them on their toes.Article continues belowArteta also used messaging last season and used the word “fire” to gee up his players having set up a bonfire at the training ground and telling them to write down their fears and throw the paper into the blaze.Join our WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.