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Reporter spots ‘bizarre’ moment in Arsenal training ahead of Real Madrid clash
Arsenal have been preparing for a truly seismic game in training at London Colney this week.
Mikel Arteta takes his Arsenal side to the Santiago Bernabeu on Wednesday with one foot already in the last four of the UEFA Champions League, after a stunning 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg last week.
Some might feel it is too much for the Spanish giants to recover from, but Los Blancos often pull off shock comebacks in the UEFA Champions League – a competition they have won a record 15 times.
Regardless of how Carlo Ancelotti is preparing for the clash, Arteta seems very keen to ensure his players remain focused, with BBC Sport spotting some “bizarre” antics in training at London Colney.
What Mikel Arteta has been doing in training with Arsenal
Arsenal are clearly a top side in a technical aspect – you don’t put three goals past Real Madrid if not.
However, the mental side of this second leg will arguably be more testing, and Arteta, who fought with Gabriel Magalhaes earlier this season, has attempted to make sure his players can handle distractions in training this week – in anticipation of a raucous atmosphere inside the Santiago Bernabeu.
So much so, that the Spaniard has even been blaring out “fairground music” to his players amongst other strange happenings, with reporters posting live from London Colney.
They wrote: “Sounds like happy hardcore is blasting out from the speaker. I may sound old and grumpy here, but this is not for me.
“This is just getting bizarre. We have now moved on to what sounds like fairground music.”
Arsenal players also spotted holding hands as things get spiritual
Fairground music was not the only oddity on show at Arsenal – who could sign Kingsley Coman from Bayern Munich this summer.
Arsenal’s defensive numbers in the Champions League this season. 🤯⛔️
— afcstuff (@afcstuff)
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The BBC then relayed a quote they overheard from one Arsenal coach which stated “we need to reconnect with life” – adding: “Yes, that is a real quote from one of the Arsenal coaches as Mikel Arteta gets his players to hold hands in a giant circle. I did not expect to be writing this half an hour ago.”
It may be an unorthodox approach to a trip to the Santiago Bernabeu, but if the Gunners can navigate their way into the semi-final, no Arsenal fan will care whatsoever.