Mikel Arteta says Arsenal were ready for their midweek Champions League flight delay because he deliberately disrupted training and travel plans in pre-season to prepare them. The Premier League champions arrived three hours late in Italy to face Napoli on Wednesday due to air traffic control issues.

"I love those challenges, I try to create them in pre-season," Arteta said before Saturday's Premier League trip to Sunderland (20:00 BST). "So when they happen, we have already experienced them and we are ready. Get to the stadium very late, change the routine... I don't want the players and staff panicking."

Arteta added his methods include delaying meals or transport, taking different routes to grounds and making the dressing room hotter. He said this reduces stress and surprise on a matchday.

He has used unusual methods before: bringing a light bulb into the dressing room, hiring professional pickpockets to take phones and wallets at a team dinner, and bringing a dog named Win to training in 2023. In April, a fire was lit at the training ground before hosting Sporting in the Champions League.