Arsenal fans are beginning to suffer as Manchester City pursue them. Photo: Getty Images/Alex Pantling
Steve Round, one of Mikel Arteta's assistants at Arsenal have been coaching players for longer than Bukayo Saka has been alive. Over three decades in the professional game, the 52-year-old has learned to read a room and gauge a person's mood, and this time last year he decided to lean on Saku's shoulder.
Arsenal were training at the Emirates Stadium on Friday afternoon, the day before the meeting with Manchester United, and Round and Saka decided to work on a penalty together. The young winger had scored from a penalty a few days earlier at Stamford Bridge, but the scars from last summer's Euros when he missed a shootout in the final against Italy were still fresh.
So, at the end of the day's session, Saka and Round went down to one end of the court and chose a spot. Between them, they agreed on how Saka would shoot if Arsenal earned a penalty the next day. Saka then fired that exact shot, shooting the same angle over and over again as part of his preparation.
A day later, after 30 minutes of play, Saka was fouled in United's penalty area. He grabbed the ball, puffed out his cheeks, and hit the same corner of the net that he and Round had talked about 24 hours earlier. Practice in this case is perfect.
Almost exactly one year later, on Sunday, Saka converted another penalty for Arsenal against West Ham. He fired in the same direction, but this time he missed. Within 142 seconds of his miss, West Ham equalized and lost two points. «Sorry, gunners,» Saka said afterwards. «I'll do everything in my power to make things right.»
Bukayo Saka missed out on a 3-1 win for Arsenal at the London Stadium on Sunday. Photo: Shutterstock/Andy Rain
The story of the one-on-one between Round and Saki is especially relevant now because it gives an idea of how Arteta and his coaching staff will behave in the next few days. After back-to-back draws in which Arsenal conceded a two-goal lead twice, there are now serious questions about the psychological strength of the team.
It's just a blip, but many fans fear it could quickly turn into a crash similar to last season's end when Arsenal missed out on a top four spot with losses to Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United.
How will they try to prevent it from happening again? Arteta will take the lead this week, as he has throughout the season, and coaches such as Round, Albert Stuivenberg and Carlos Cuesta will also be talking one-on-one with the players. Success is a collective endeavor, but as Round and Saka showed last season, it also requires a personal touch.
There is no official club psychologist at Arsenal, instead Arteta and his coaching staff manage the messaging and psychological management of the first team players. However, they use various consultants, which the players turn to on an individual basis as needed.
Arteta likes to read in his free time, but only non-fiction books and only things that help him become a better manager. He is interested in leadership and management techniques and speaks regularly to coaches in other sports, including Rugby Union's Eddie Jones.
With the match against Southampton on Friday approaching ahead of the big game against Manchester City next week, Arteta will need to use the most effective of these methods if he wants to keep the ship. The title is still in Arsenal's hands but they can't afford to stumble again and certainly can't afford to keep losing a two-goal lead.
«Just play football»
Professor Andy Lane, sports psychologist at the Center for Human Health and Performance and the University of Wolverhampton, says the most important thing for Arsenal players is to live in the present. The more relaxed they feel and the less they care about the big picture, the better they will play.
«If they think they're close to the end of the season, that's worrisome,» he says. “They need to do as much as possible just to play football. Focus on the quality of the movement, on the enjoyment of the game. They could rewatch successful performances, trying to remember what it was like when they won.
“It's about being the best in the moment. Tennis players are a good example of this because they can't think of anything other than the next point. One serve after another. It's easy to say but very difficult to do.”
What is certainly true is that Arsenal have shown a much higher level of resilience this season. They have racked up big wins against some of their biggest rivals and consistently hit late winners. With Gabriel Jesus and Alexander Zinchenko on their team, they also have two players who know what it takes to win the title.
This season they have proved to be the most morally stable Arsenal team in many years. When the title race reaches its climax and the pressure rises to an almost unbearable level, they can't let their minds and bodies soften.
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