When it comes to motivational speaking, beauty is very much in the eye of the beholder. One man's Tony D'Amato can easily be another's David Brent. That is a battle that faces elite sports coaches on a daily basis, and Mikel Arteta is no different.
As he traverses the rollercoaster of emotions that is Arsenal's 2021/22 season throughout Amazon's All or Nothing documentary series, the first thing that becomes apparent is that nothing is off limits when it comes to trying to gain that extra inch for his team. Some things certainly work better than others. There is the heartfelt speech ahead of the crucial game against Norwich City that lifted the Gunners off the bottom of the Premier League table, but at the same time there is the playing of Liverpool's famous You'll Never Walk Alone at London Colney that precedes the 4-0 humbling at Anfield.
Each new strategy carries a degree of risk. Prior to the North London Derby victory in September that was arguably the original catalyst for the groundswell of positivity that exists around the Emirates right now, Arteta hands over a section of his immediate pre-match team talk to Stuart McFarlane, the club's photographer of 30 years. Unai Emery opted for a similar strategy before Arsenal's defeat to Crystal Palace that signalled the beginning of their top four challenge in 2019, by handing the reigns to the man in charge of organising the club's first team travel. Emery lost and was derided in the aftermath, while Arteta won and has been hailed for his ability to motivate his players. This is the fine margins by which reputations are won and lost, but Arteta admits he's willing to take risks.
READ MORE: Fulham confirm Bernd Leno transfer signing as three other Arsenal players 'close' to exits
"As you can see you have to open up to your players," he said at the premiere of the Amazon documentary in Islington. "At the end we are all human beings, we have our family, we have our life and we all suffer.
"Going through some of the things that you see here it’s obviously not nice, it’s challenging, but at the same time it’s fascinating. It’s an incredible learning opportunity for yourself to understand who you are surrounded by. You have the courage and the ability to learn in difficult moments and to be inspired by the people that are next to you. They really want the best for you, so try to take that energy and move forward.
"I think in those moments you have to be yourself. It’s the feeling and what you sense is needed in that moment, you have to live it. It has to come across in the way you are and the way you picture it because at the end you have to transmit it. There are moments where you have to be ready to step into that pitch with the right feeling, the right level of confidence and trust and it has to be you."
'Transmitting' has always been a buzzword for Arteta and if you have your bingo card ready for when he resumes his pre-match press conference duties on Thursday, there would be little surprise if you end up ticking it off again. It's clearly something the Spaniard thinks about as he tries to convey the highly specialised way that he wants his Arsenal side to play. Despite that though, he admits that the actual process that goes into his varied team talks can be as spontaneous as it is scheduled.
"Sometimes you can plan it and it can go 24 hours before a match or 48 hours before a match with an idea of something else that you’ve seen or heard," he said. "Sometimes it’s just a minute before kick off and you are there in that room. When the players are in the warm up you are more isolated and lonely and in that moment you say ok this is what I’m going to deliver to them."
Regardless of how he has gone about motivating his team, throughout preseason it does appear to have been working. The Gunners have won six of their seven friendlies, scoring 26 goals along the way and look to be on track for challenging for a top four spot this campaign. The real test will come against Crystal Palace in the Premier League's curtain raiser on Friday when Arteta's pre-match speech could be one that sets the tone for the coming season.
READ NEXT:
Mikel Arteta facing defensive dilemma ahead of Palace clash as Arsenal transfer exits loom
Full Arsenal Premier League fixture list for 2022/23
Big Arsenal Forum: Answer the call as we ask fans 7 key questions
Arsenal: All or Nothing review reveals Mikel Arteta's honest style and Josh Kroenke's influence
When Arsenal must register Youri Tielemans to make debut at Crystal Palace if transfer is sealed
