Arsenal defender Oleksandr Zinchenko said the quiet part out loud in his new book, 'Believe', when discussing manager Mikel Arteta's habits for trying to throw off opposing managers... or to use a phrase synonymous with the team to start the season: the dark arts.
"I've seen him tell injured players to come on the team bus and walk into the dressing room with their wash bag, to put the other manager off the scent," Zinchenko wrote in his book via The Athletic. Whether or not Arteta necessarily wanted that revealed is one thing, but it's confirmation to something supporters and rivals more or less knew.
It's no secret the Arsenal manager tries to give his team every advantage possible on and off the pitch. It's not uncommon for a manager to do so, and some of Arteta's more experimental methods like playing "You'll Never Walk Alone" on loudspeakers during a training session as highlighted in All or Nothing garner outside criticism. Other methods like Ben White being a nuisance to goalkeepers on corners receive praise with how clinical the Gunners are on set pieces.
As far as player availability, the Liverpool game at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League comes to mind. Leading up to the match, Arteta mentioned Bukayo Saka, Jurrien Timber and others were doubts for the game. Saka hadn't played a minute for Arsenal after coming off injured in the October international break before the Liverpool game with no direct insight into the severity of the injury. Saka and Timber both ended up starting the game.
Arteta's not the first manager to try and keep opposing managers on their toes, and he won't be the last. But, Zinchenko's admission warrants the question whether he appreciates a player in his squad revealing the lengths to which he's willing to go or not.
READ THE LATEST ARSENAL NEWS, PREVIEWS, PREDICTIONS, TRANSFER RUMORS AND MORE
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Dark Arts: Injured Players Told to Appear Available by Mikel Arteta.
