Mikel Arteta is determined to keep his Arsenal players focused on the task at hand in the 2025/26 Premier League title race
Abbie Meehan Sports Writer U-35s
05:45, 31 Jan 2026
Mikel Arteta, Manager of Arsenal, during an Arsenal trainmisg session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on January 27, 2026 in London Colney, England.
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Mikel Arteta has many important rules(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Arsenal find themselves in a fierce battle for their first Premier League title since 2004, and Mikel Arteta fully understands the significance of the season.
The Gunners have topped the table for much of the 2025/26 campaign but have experienced a recent wobble. A draw against Nottingham Forest, followed by a devastating 3-2 loss to Manchester United, has enabled rivals Aston Villa and Manchester City to close the gap.
What was a seven-point advantage has been reduced to merely four in a matter of weeks and supporters are beginning to feel the tension. A challenging away trip to Leeds United looms on the horizon and Arteta is determined to maintain as wide a margin as possible.
In pursuit of this goal, the Spanish boss has maintained strict guidelines to ensure his players remain entirely focused on delivering silverware.
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Here, football.london examines some of these crucial rules and their impact on the north London side.
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Four-word mantra
Arteta's most critical directive for his Arsenal squad was disclosed in December 2024 and consists of just four words. When questioned by TNT Sports about his team's guiding principle, the 43-year-old simply said: "Love for the game."
The boss is determined to preserve his squad's passion for football despite the enormous pressure they face daily. Supporters are anticipating a league trophy this term and their three successive runners-up finishes in recent years may be weighing on certain first-team players' minds.
Arteta, however, will urge his team to cast aside any negativity and concentrate solely on maintaining their enjoyment levels as high as their performance on the pitch.
Phone ban
Myles Lewis-Skelly of Arsenal sits on top of a Nike Flight Match Ball and checks his phone prior to the Premier League match between Southampton FC and Arsenal FC at St Mary's Stadium on May 25, 2025 in Southampton, England.
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Mobile phones are banned during games(Image: Charlie Crowhurst/Getty Images)
Another rule that Arteta enforces in the dressing room is a ban on checking mobile phones during half-time breaks, preventing players from keeping tabs on rival scores.
This rule was exemplified during Arsenal's match against Crystal Palace, which coincided with City's loss to Aston Villa. Both matches kicked off at 2pm on October 26, 2025, with City trailing 1-0 in the 19th minute after a Matty Cash goal.
Arsenal led 1-0 at half-time courtesy of former Palace star Eberechi Eze, but they were oblivious to their title competitor's predicament at Villa Park. When questioned about City's result, Arteta said: "No, I wasn't aware. I just found out at the end of the game.
"I think most of the players as well, they aren't allowed their phones at half-time, so hopefully they didn't know about it, but maybe through the staff.
"But I think it was a really positive weekend for us, especially because we did what we had to do and then it shows the difficulty of the league, and how complicated it is to win these games."
Pre-match meeting
Leandro Trossard of Arsenal arrives at the stadium prior to the Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester United at Emirates Stadium on January 25, 2026 in London, England.
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The squad gathers at the training ground first(Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
One of Arteta's non-negotiables is that players must gather at the training ground before matches, regardless of whether they're playing at the Emirates Stadium.
According to The Sun, this regulation is designed to foster team unity within the squad, with the manager being meticulous in his demands as he strives to secure the Premier League title.
Other London clubs in Arsenal's vicinity, such as Chelsea and Tottenham, are said to permit their players to travel independently to home and away fixtures, provided they arrive by a specified time before kick-off.
However, Arteta insists his squad must assemble at the London Colney training ground to travel together to matches, including the 24-mile journey to the Emirates Stadium.
Team mixture
LONDON COLNEY, ENGLAND - JANUARY 27: Cristhian Mosquera of Arsenal during the Arsenal training session at Sobha Realty Training Centre on January 27, 2026 in London Colney, England.
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The squad mixes together on the daily(Image: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
William Saliba disclosed in 2023 that Arteta requires players to sit with different teammates during mealtimes to strengthen bonds within the group.
After returning from his loan spell at Marseille, the commanding centre-back became an integral part of Arteta's defence and discussed his admiration for the manager's approach with the club's official website.
He said: "The coaches will speak to us about how important it is to be a unit and to be together, not just with the fans, but as a team as well.
"An example is when we were on tour in America, for every meal we always mixed the tables. We don't get to choose the table where we sit at lunch or dinner.
"We get to speak to the coaching staff, to other players and I really like that. There might be a player there who you speak to less and it's a chance to know them more, to be together, and that all helps as a team when you are on the pitch too."
'Collaboretition' tactics
Mikel Arteta, manager of Arsenal, shouts instructions during the Premier League match between Nottingham Forest and Arsenal at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, on February 26, 2025.
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Tactics are important for Arsenal(Image: MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Arteta has been known to invent new terms in his coaching approach, according to The Athletic. The Spanish manager coined the term 'collaboretition', a fusion of 'collaboration' and 'competition', which he uses daily with his team and incorporates into training sessions.
Kevin Balvers, Arsenal's former head of methodology, disclosed that the club utilises colour-coded materials when discussing tactics - red for defence and blue for attack. Balvers said: "In tactical meetings, I learned from studies that if you put a dark blue background the players will learn the information more than white, black or red as the contrast is better.
"When speaking about defending, we made sure the text and areas highlighted were red and when attacking it was blue. This helps their brains know instantly what phase of play we're talking about."
Additionally, Arteta employs an acronym - B.A.S.I.C.S - to simplify things for the squad. Balvers added: "One of them was 'BASICS' - B for Boxes, A for Attack, S for Shape, I for Intensity, C for Compete and S for Set pieces.
"It made it clear what we expected from them and because he speaks that language every day, the players then speak it."
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