OFFICE ANTICS

LONDON. − Depending on who you ask, Mikel Arteta is either a lunatic or a genius.

Opposition fans are always ready to ridicule his barmy ideas for keeping his Arsenal players engaged and on the edge.

Arsenal’s All or Nothing Amazon Prime series first exposed just how unconventional the Gunners boss can be when it comes to getting his players going.

Former captain Granit Xhaka once described his manager as “a freak, but in a positive way.” Players walking into one of Arteta’s meetings never know what to expect.

In the past they have been tasked with squeezing as much juice out of a lemon as possible − only for Arteta to get a few more drips out to show “there is always more to give.”

Arteta flashes pictures of F1 cars, either on a clear road or crowded out, to demonstrate whether opponents will be sitting deep or leaving space in behind.

But easily the most unexpected was during a team meal.

Arteta and his coaches secretly hired a team of pick-pockets to go around the table posing as waiters and lift phones and room keys from the unsuspecting Gunners squad.

It was meant as a lesson to always be alert and on guard, though was mocked by some former players and current pundits − including Roy Keane.

Arteta has decided not only to annoy his children with some of his musical choices, but his players too. This week the Gunners prepared to face Dinamo Zagreb with some famous Samba hits as their backing track.

In a bid to lift the London Colney mood, Arteta blasted out Sergio Mendes’ Mas Que Nada, famous for being used in Nike’s advert featuring the Brazil 1998 World Cup squad.

Arteta said: “It happens to all of us. You play a song and immediately you feel different, and we have certain songs that trigger something in our team, because they have some history as well with us.

“I will use it when we believe it’s the right way to do it.

“Sometimes I play a song many, many times with my family and [the kids] say: ‘Dad, can we stop it, please?’ I don’t know, it’s a feeling.” − The Sun