Sam Allardyce blasts Mikel Arteta for sharing 'strange' Arsenal training methods with public

Arteta has faced scrutiny following the emergence of footage showing Arsenal stars performing ball work while balancing pens and training amidst AI-generated TikTok backdrops. These unorthodox tactics come as the north London club attempts to win the Premier League for the first time since 2003-04, but a shock home defeat to Bournemouth has raised questions regarding the squad's focus. Critics argue that such intense, left-field methods might be causing unnecessary confusion among the players during the season's final stretch.

While acknowledging the value of innovation, Allardyce expressed concern that making these "off-the-wall" tactics public invites unnecessary external pressure. He drew a sharp contrast with the more relaxed approach of Pep Guardiola, suggesting that Arteta’s refusal to grant his squad extra rest reflects a lack of internal belief.

Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Football podcast, Allardyce said: "I think he’s doing some strange things, sadly. Not that I’m adverse to a strange thing, because I’m the first to try it. But he is making it public, [like] with the pens. I’m not quite sure what it was.

"This time he’s got AI up, hasn’t he? While they’re training. And he’s let the press and the public see that. I like the innovation but I don’t like [it] publicly… just keep it to yourself. That can backfire on him. They could say, ‘you confused the players with all that stuff.’

"The best thing to do is like Pep does. Give them four days off. He ain’t got confidence in himself and his staff if he doesn’t do that."

The sentiment was echoed by Manchester United legend Paul Scholes and former England striker Gary Lineker, both of whom suggested that elite players might find such methods distracting rather than helpful.

“If we were doing what they were doing now, we’d be thinking, ‘what the f*** is going on here?’ We’d be thinking the manager has lost it,” Scholes remarked.

Lineker added on The Rest is Football podcast: “If you do something differently, do it in house. Keep it quiet. Make sure nobody’s videoing it.”

Arsenal currently lead the Premier League with 70 points from 32 games, but three defeats in their last four outings have severely dented their momentum. They face a monumental trip to City this Sunday, where a loss would allow the hosts to close the gap to just three points with a game in hand. Following the Etihad clash, the Gunners must navigate a demanding run-in featuring a home game against Newcastle on April 25, followed by May fixtures against Fulham, West Ham, Burnley, and a final-day encounter with Crystal Palace.

The Gunners will first try to reach the Champions League semi-finals, though, as they defend a 1-0 aggregate lead against Sporting in the second leg of their last eight tie at the Emirates on Wednesday.