Arsenal train on Emirates pitch night before Chelsea clash as Arteta makes huge pre-match changes to get flops flying
MIKEL ARTETA has already begun introducing his own pre-match changes to get his misfiring Arsenal side flying.
The Spaniard took the unusual decision of having his players train on the Emirates pitch the night before the clash against Chelsea.
The Gunners typically just have a light morning session at London Colney before a home game but Arteta has switched things up following a disastrous run of form.
Compatriot and predecessor Unai Emery temporarily adopted the same tactic to get the players feeling more comfortable in their north London surroundings.
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However, the plan was scrapped after just two games, a 2-0 loss to Manchester City, and a 3-1 win over West Ham that was overshadowed by a reported bust-up with Mesut Ozil.
Yet there seemed to be no sign of the German suffering a similar problem with new boss Arteta, who revealed the playmaker has shown an "incredible" attitude in training so far.
But Pep Guardiola's former assistant was less flattering when it came to club-record signing Nicolas Pepe.
The Ivorian has struggled to establish himself in the Premier League since he joined from Lille in the summer in a deal worth £72million.
And Arteta said: “The problem with his confidence is that confidence is only good if he plays.
“If he trains well enough to convince me, then I will have confidence in him.
“There has to be a mix between the two.
“If he’s willing to learn, if he’s willing to work hard, I am sure he has the potential to be top — absolutely top."
If he trains well enough to convince me, then I will have confidence in him
Mikel Arteta on Nicolas Pepe
Arteta's first game in charge ended in a 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth on Thursday, but the former midfielder was encouraged by what he saw.
He told the "I would like to start to see a little bit more control in some situations, and more awareness of why things happened.
"The players have to understand two seconds earlier the picture that is coming, and where the solutions are. But that will come over time. They will pick it up.
"We don't have much time to train in, I only have I think two sessions in one week with the starting XI, which is nothing.
"But through video, through talks, through individual meetings, slowly, they have to embrace that information... and we will start to build some fundamentals and principles that as a team will help them."
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Arsenal are currently languishing in 12th in the Premier League, eight points adrift of fourth-placed Chelsea.
The Gunners will likely be forced to put out a makeshift defence with Bukayo Saka to slot in at left-back following the injuries to Sead Kolasinac and Kieran Tierney.
However, he will welcome back Calum Chambers from his one-game suspension who could slot straight into central defence.
