Observing an Arsenal training session: Music, a large stopwatch and intensity

New York Times

14-05-2025

The Arsenal fans who attended Wednesday's open training session at the Emirates Stadium were treated by a welcome sight: Kai Havertz in full training.
The German international has been absent since suffering a hamstring injury during Arsenal's training camp in Dubai in early February. As Arsenal jogged out onto their home turf, with the club anthem 'North London Forever' playing over the PA, the tall figure of Havertz was immediately visible among the squad — and the 25-year-old went on to be heavily involved throughout the session.
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He was given a 'guard of honour', complete with playful slaps to the head, by his team-mates to mark his return to training.
Havertz was joined by Leandro Trossard, who went off injured during Sunday's game at Anfield, and Declan Rice, who missed the Liverpool match through injury. Jorginho also trained, having been absent since suffering a blow to the ribs during the final moments of April's 1-1 draw with Brentford.
More than 7,000 Arsenal fans accepted the club's invitation to watch the training session at the stadium. There was no charge for tickets — the intention was to thank supporters and connect with the local community.
So what was it like?
The goalkeepers — David Raya, Neto and Tommy Setford — were out on the pitch first. They ran through a drill which involved claiming crosses, bowling out throws and diving to save long shots, while Break My Soul by Beyonce played over the sound system.
Music is regularly a feature of Mikel Arteta's sessions.
'That is something we've done for many years, it is part of training,' the Arsenal manager said in January. 'We use music as another element of our sessions to build energy and change purposes that we want in the training session. The players enjoy it. Depending on the day, sometimes certain players pick certain songs, it's the same as in the dressing room.'
Watching the training session unfold, it was striking how much time the goalkeepers spend away from the main group. It is no wonder the cliche of the 'goalkeepers union' has come about — they are each other's predominant support and social network. The relationship between No 1 Raya and goalkeeper coach Inaki Cana is clearly also of paramount importance.
At 10.55am, it was announced that 'something special' was about to happen. 'They're announcing the Man City hearing verdict,' joked one fan in the East Stand.
Instead, it was the outfield players coming out to start training — with Havertz among them. Arteta was the last man out onto the field, receiving a hug and a high-five from Gunnersaurus on the touchline.
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For the Arsenal players, there's a certain novelty to training in front of supporters. Although commonplace in other European countries, it's relatively unusual in England.
Back in 2022, then Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka approached the club about the prospect of holding more training sessions in public. The Swiss international believed it would improve relations between fans and players.
'The people who do not see us in the training, for example, do not see how hard we are working,' he explained. 'They see us only in the 90 minutes. Everyone has a good and bad day. That is why I spoke with the club as well about, 'Why can't we bring the fans maybe once a week so they can see us how we train?''
Arsenal's outfield contingent began training just after 11am. Academy players Maldini Kacurri, Michal Rosiak and Nathan Butler-Oyedeji rounded out the group.
It was clear that, although Arteta's title may be 'manager', he is a coach first and foremost. He plays an active role in the leading the session — but he is not alone. He is supported on the training pitch by around a dozen technical and performance staff.
Arsenal start with some simple activation, a bit of passing and some stretching. The latter requires the players to pair up with those of equivalent heights — Havertz was partnered by Merino, Trossard by Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Every exercise is timed to the second: Arsenal trained with a large digital stopwatch placed behind the managerial dugout. The pitch is freshly watered (and assistant coach Carlos Cuesta at one point got caught by the sprinkler system).
After their initial warm-up, Arsenal broke into small groups for some familiar technical drills: dribbling round cones, passing into small goals and the now ubiquitous rondos. This training session was clearly a little different: at one stage, a group of children, present as part of Arsenal's community programme, found themselves chasing a ball round a rondo.
Arsenal then moved on to the meat of the session; the part that closely replicates a match scenario. Two teams of 10 outfield players competed on a compressed pitch to win a single ball, Arteta tossing it into different zones to create transition moments. Having gained possession, the aim then appeared to be to create penetration, either in wide areas or through the middle. At first, there were no goals or goalkeepers — breaking beyond the back line was enough to end the phase. That would prompt another immediate restart from Arteta.
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It was physical and intense. At one stage, Gabriel Martinelli went down in obvious pain but he was able to return to the field shortly afterwards.
Havertz not only took part, he was integral to the session. He wore a different colour bib to the rest of the group, signifying that he was actually operating as the centre-forward for both teams. Whoever had possession, he would change direction and assume the role of attacking focal point.
Eventually, goals and goalkeepers were added, bringing the exercise more in line with a conventional game.
Arsenal then moved onto a three-team tournament featuring groups of six outfield players. Hein and Neto played in goal throughout, with Raya continuing more drills with Cana in front of the North Bank.
There were eye-catching moments, including some sumptuous two-footed finishing from Ethan Nwaneri and Trossard. He may have fallen down the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium, but the close control and creativity of Zinchenko in a small-sided game was second to none.
The team in orange bibs seemingly came out on top: Rosiak and Riccardo Calafiori at the back, Jorginho and Mikel Merino in midfield, with Trossard and Raheem Sterling leading the attack. He may not have scored in the Premier League this season, but Sterling did not look out of place in the training environment, showing a keen eye for goal. They celebrated their victory — Arteta demands a competitive environment, even on the training pitch.
Arsenal finished with a team photo in front of the assembled fans: a souvenir from an unusual, insightful day.