Mikel Arteta says Arsenal will play “mind games” with returning goalkeeper Aaron Ramsdale when it comes to set-piece routines against Southampton.
Ramsdale left the Gunners this summer to join Saints in search of more game time, having lost his starting berth last season when David Raya joined Arsenal from Brentford, initially on loan.
Arsenal have been prolific at scoring from set-pieces under Arteta, with the help of coach Nicolas Jover, with 44 goals since 2021.
But Arteta is aware his players may need to change up their antics with Ramsdale very familiar with the routines.
Maybe we will tell him that we’ll adapt something but then do the same thing
“Maybe we will tell him that we will adapt something but then do the same thing so he’s going to be thinking we’re going to adapt it,” Arteta said on Friday. “So there is going to be some mind games. I’m sure that they will have discussed that.
“It’s not the first time that we have played against a player that was in our camp, it’s natural that it happens. So we need to have the capacity to understand and continue to do our things.”
Arsenal have been runners-up in the Premier League in both previous two seasons and sit just a point behind early leaders Liverpool this term.
Arteta says his players are free to talk about their title ambitions but team meetings are not focused on their hunt for the Premier League title.
“They are free to talk about it and express their feelings and if they believe that is the case then great, as belief is the first thing you need to achieve whatever you want to achieve in life”, he said. “What I can say is we have only played six games and we are very far from it.
Asked whether he talks about the title race, he said: “No. We talk about game by game, training sessions, what we demand from ourselves, evaluate what we do every single day and what we can continue to improve in and be the team we want to be in a consistent way.
“The rest will take care of itself. If we are good enough at the end of the season we will have chances to achieve it.”
