Arteta lights training ground fire to inspire players

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is known for his innovative - often unorthodox - methods to motivate his players. This week he lit a fire at their London Colney training ground.

Why? To "prepare" for a crucial week, he said.

On Wednesday, they hosted Sporting in the Champions League and secured a place in the semi-finals. Next up is a visit to Manchester City in the Premier League on Sunday - their closest challengers in the title race.

"Every game we use different themes to try to prepare the game in the best possible way and that depends on what we do," said Arteta.

"The best ones are the players' initiatives. That's the ones I love the most."

Having last won a trophy in 2020 with the FA Cup, during Arteta's first season in charge, and not being league champions for 22 years, the pressure has intensified to deliver success.

Before the midweek tie against Sporting, Arteta asked his side to play with "pure fire" - though ultimately, they limped to the semi-finals with a 0-0 draw.

"No fear, pure fire. That's it," he said before the game.

"Pure fire, that's what I want to see from the players, the people, myself."

And to bring the metaphor to life, the Arsenal manager lit a fire at the training ground while delivering his rousing speech to his players.

For Arteta, inspiring his squad in unconventional ways is nothing new.

Once he brought a lightbulb into the dressing room while asking his players to be energetic and shine.

He even hired professional pickpockets to attend a team dinner to take phones and wallets from players, to teach them to stay alert.

In 2023, he brought a dog named Win into the training ground to boost morale. "I feel like we are a family, we need a dog to represent that family," he said at the time.

Now, Arteta is hoping Arsenal can use his latest message of "pure fire" to secure a positive result and propel them to the Premier League title.