Mikel Arteta has provided an insight into how he wants his Arsenal players to be before they leave the dressing room and take to the pitch to fight for Champions League qualification against local rivals Tottenham.
The Gunners will be all too aware of the fact that a win at the home of their most fierce enemies on Thursday night will secure their place in European club football's most elite competition next season.
Arsenal have three games left to play and boast a four-point advantage over Antonio Conte's men as they desperately try to hold on to the much coveted fourth spot.
Arteta recently penned a new contract that extends the Spaniard's stay at the Emirates for another three years in what is a clear show of faith from those above him in the club hierarchy. The Gunners boss was entrusted with plenty of transfer funds last summer by Arsenal's owners and is expected to be given the same freedom again in the coming transfer window.
As part of the official announcement confirming Arteta's new deal, the club organised a short chat between the Gunners boss and the manager of the Arsenal Women's team Jonas Eidevall. The Swedish coach has also signed a new deal extending his time at the helm after the Gunners finished second in the Women's Super League.
During the conversation, Eidevall asked Arteta how he likes the dressing room to be once the players have returned from the warm-up and have now set their sights firmly on the contest in front of them. The Spaniard's response was eye-opening and shed light on how the Arsenal players will be before Thursday's North London derby.
"In the dressing room about an hour and a half before kick-off and two minutes in the dressing room before kick-off is so different isn't it?," Arteta pondered, before explaining what he asks of his troops. "Normally, it's more emotion. More emotional. [I ask them] How we have to start the game? How do we win to win the game? All those things.
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"I like to get some feedback from the coaches. How was the warm up? Were they coaching each other? Were they sloppy? Were they quick? Were they at it? I stay inside [for the warm-up]."
The Arsenal manager went on to reveal one pre-match tactic the Gunners have that many may not know about.
"We have a nominated person who is looking at the opposition warm-up. So if they are doing something like shape, or clearances, or they do patterns in the final third and who's playing on the right so at least now we have an idea of what to do."
Arteta has until Thursday to mull over how he plans to go about nullifying the astonishing attacking talent Spurs boast in their front-line. Both Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have stellar scoring records against the Gunners and the Arsenal defenders will need to be at their absolute best with Champions League football on the line.
