Former England striker Michael Owen has defended Mikel Arteta's unconventional training ground methods at Arsenal. The Gunners slipped to second in the Premier League on Wednesday night after Manchester City beat Burnley 1-0 at Turf Moor to take top spot. Despite leading the table for 200 days this season, Arteta's team now faces the reality of potentially finishing as runners-up for the fourth consecutive campaign. Arsenal are level on points with City at 70 and share an identical goal difference of 37, leaving everything still to play for. However, the psychological impact of City's win could be significant, an area where Arteta takes specialist care in his players' development.
Owen draws parallels with Hoddle
While Arteta has faced criticism for his unorthodox training techniques, branded by some as gimmicks, Owen has drawn parallels with the methods of former England boss Glenn Hoddle. Hoddle famously introduced spiritualist and faith healer Eileen Drewery to his squad during his reign from 1996 to 1999, claiming she was an extension of the medical staff. Owen believes Hoddle was ahead of the curve regarding players' mental conditioning and refuses to condemn Arteta for thinking along similar lines.
Speaking exclusively to Mirror Football on behalf of Casino.org, Owen said: "I don't know, maybe it's hokum? Listen, it's always been the case. Nobody says anything if Arsenal are winning, but when they lose, then it's new-age sessions. I mean, going back through my career, we had all kinds that nobody either would know about or they would know about. I remember when I first got into the England team and Glenn Hoddle used a lady called Eileen Drewery. Everybody was laughing, and then everybody was like, 'Oh, my word, psychologists, how weak mentally must you have been?' Everybody was a laughing stock, and then all of a sudden, nowadays, if you mention psychologists, then it's just, every job and, 'I've got plenty of them'."
Arteta's methods defended
Owen added: "Certainly, the press all laughed at it. Mikel Arteta is an exceptionally talented manager. He's obviously done a great job. Arsenal weren't doing so well when he took over. He's grabbed them by the collar, he came second in the league before, and he's top of the league at the moment and in another semi-final of the Champions League. I'd be very hesitant to laugh at what he's doing. This is not an easy job to be a top Premier League manager, not an easy job, and he's doing a serious, serious job. If they don't win it, they don't win it. He's probably going up against one of the greatest managers of all time. So I, for one, would not pass comment on anything on the training ground."
Arteta's unconventional antics
Arteta's training ground antics have become part of Premier League folklore. He once brought a lightbulb into the dressing room, demanding that his players be energetic and shine on the pitch. The former Everton midfielder also hired professional pickpockets to attend a team dinner, snatching phones and wallets from players to keep them alert. In 2023, he brought a dog named Win into the training ground to boost morale. Additionally, he played 'You'll Never Walk Alone' over loudspeakers during training to steel his players against the atmosphere at Anfield ahead of a game against Liverpool, which they ultimately lost 4-0.
Arteta explained his methods: "Every game we use different themes to try to prepare the game in the best possible way, and that depends on what we do. The best ones are the players' initiatives. That's the ones I love the most." He will now hope his methods can help Arsenal stay strong for the remaining five games of the season, where the thin line between winning the first title since 2004 or finishing runner-up again may be all in the mind.
