Arsenal news: Why does Mikel Arteta plan to invite fighter pilots to analyse Gunners's routine?

Mikel Arteta plans an unconventional way to improve his dialogue with Arsenal players, seeking to invite a team of fighter pilots from the Royal Air Force (RAF).

The explanation for the idea came at an event attended by the Gunners' manager. At the time, Arteta was asked by former player Luke Darcy how far his curiosity as a leader can take him.

"For many places, it is a constant improvement. I can wake up one day and ask how we are communicating with the players, from us, coaches, to analysts," he commented.

"So, the British fighters, for example, I am going to contact these guys [to understand] how they communicate, because that is a matter of life and death. I am pretty sure they do not use 20 sentences or 20 words, if there is a word at all. Do not say 'no, the wind is coming here, now you have to turn left', because [in that time you will be] dead. So, it will be just one word," explained the manager.

Arteta's plan for RAF involvement in training

Arteta's idea also includes the immersive participation of the pilots in the squad's routine, with the analysis of the professionals for three days on the way the group communicates also during training.

"I want them to look at our process, three days, how we communicate, how we do it in training and I want to get better at that. And try hard to get them to say: 'you are poor at this, you need to improve'. Understand these people, how they think, how they operate, how it relates to Formula 1, how it relates to something else, and try to improve on that to understand how clear we can be," Mikel detailed.

Arteta's unconventional methods to stimulate Arsenal

This is not the first time that Mikel Arteta has adopted unconventional methods to stimulate the Arsenal squad. The manager has already drawn a heart and a brain hand in hand after his team lost three of the first five Premier League matches in the 2021-22 season.

On another occasion, the manager also turned on a light bulb during a team conversation to try to show the players how they needed to connect.

The song "You'll Never Walk Alone", Liverpool's anthem, was played over the speakers during a training session in an attempt to familiarise them with the intimidating atmosphere at Anfield before an away match.

But an episode that can be considered the most "striking" was when the manager hired pickpockets to "steal" from his own players. The plan included having the "pickpockets" surround tables during a squad dinner and steal athletes' belongings, such as wallets and other valuable items.

The idea was to teach players the importance of staying alert and prepared at all times.

This article was originally published on Trivela.