Mikel Arteta has been using a lot of his little tricks to relay key messages at the Arsenal training ground this week, but there’s one that his staff have especially drilled in during training. That is to not make mistakes, especially in midfield.
This isn’t out of any fear or conservatism about the stakes of the game. It is specific to the opposition, and how they play. Real Madrid often win games where they look like they are on the ropes because they actively want you to have the ball, and then pounce in midfield any time you give it up. They’re of course fully confident they have the forwards to maximise that. Arteta has consequently been conscious of not making unnecessary errors, and also figuring out how to block those lethal transitions.
