Arsenal players recounted the influence the dog “Win” had in their conversation with ESPN, underscoring the importance of what the four-legged member brought to the team. From there, we can see how dogs can also have a great impact on helping to build the mental, physical and tactical capacity of the players.
“Win makes you feel in a way that’s hard to happen,” said striker Reiss Nelson. “It’s calm. Research shows it can reduce the stress hormone cortisol, while boosting the feel-good hormone oxytocin, which is useful in helping Arsenal compete against the ‘winning machine’ ‘ Pep Guardiola’s Man City”.
The name “Win” serves as a daily reminder, energizing and connecting all Arsenal players and staff. Dogs are fearless animals, and the Gunners need to rekindle the stubbornness that brought them close to winning the Premier League last season. Win is just one of the tools that coach Mikel Arteta has used to get his players focused again. Now, after 3 months, the wound has gradually healed. Arsenal had given themselves lessons to “carry hearts” to prepare to enter a new war, where they were determined to reclaim what was lost.
“I’ve learned a lot about the team. We have to know we’re wearing the Arsenal shirt. We have to fight big teams. Even though we can’t win the title, we have a team. very happy and united,” said midfielder Gabriel. Ben White, meanwhile, said expectations at Arsenal had changed after last season: “You can do well, but you need to maintain that good all season. Otherwise, it all turns to nothing. invalid”.
Breaking into the Top 4 was Arsenal’s original goal last season, but it has been surpassed by quite a distance. It’s not a feat the Gunners celebrate like winning a title, though. To reach the next level, Arsenal need to play with ruthlessness from week to week, just like Man City did.
“The coach taught us that every game is important, and that’s why City play so well. They won important games, games against the bottom teams, scored a lot of goals. won,” White added.
At a crucial period last season, Arsenal lost points against Southampton (3-3 draw) and West Ham (2-2 draw) in April. Only 2 points out of a maximum of 6 points made them slip. lose the championship. If they win those matches, the Gunners will own 90 points, more than the 89 that Man City owns. The Arsenal boys look back on these performances with great regret. The overwhelming pressure of competing for a title has caused confusion, anxiety, costly personal mistakes and distraction.
It’s not a matter of talent, it’s a lack of maturity. “I’m more comfortable now. I’m only 25 years old but I’m one of the older guys in a young team. Now I try to focus on the game and not the individual situations. You must stay calm and not get too emotional,” White continued.
Similar to Guardiola, coach Arteta doesn’t just tell his players to follow his plan mechanically. He will explain the method in detail, be ready to answer, provide reasons why to do so. This helps bring clarity to Arsenal’s play, both in possession and without the ball, thereby making the Gunners flexible and unpredictable.
“We have a lot of team meetings where Arteta talks in more detail about what you have to do as a team, as a collective. He tells us what to do together on the pitch, which brings gives us a lot more cohesion in every game,” Nelson said.
Applying both expertise and methods from the sidelines from Win, Arteta is gradually turning Arsenal into a complete “machine”, ready to fight for every title in the near future.
