Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta received a surprise for his press conference for the competition for Sunday's opening game in Manchester United.
Arteta probably thought he was the one who caught people today the day of the edge by arriving six minutes early for his press.
But Sky Sports reporter Gary Cotterill had other plans.
First he unveiled an Arsenal balloon and then used a party blower to make a sound.
And then he said, “I have a small first question in the form of a new seasonal poem.”
Arteta replied: “Okay, go on.”
Cotterill added: “Arsenal are red, united are. It is Sky's largest Premier League season ever. We are enthusiastic. Are you?”
And then we were gone.
Arteta replied: “I am super excited. I can't wait.
“It was a really productive preseason. We also made such an evolution in the team and we are ready to go.”
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Where there is a will
Jack Wilshere has chosen to return to the youth arrangement of Arsenal to concentrate on getting a senior role in management and this is definitely the right decision.
And I have no doubt that Wilshere will be a huge success on condition that he chooses the right EFL club and will eventually manage it in the Premier League.
We must not forget that Wilshere, who left the game early because of an injury, is only 33, so two years younger than Jordan Henderson.
SunSport revealed earlier this month that Wilshere was a leading candidate to take the lead on Arsenal's Under-21s with Mehmet Ali who joined Brentford's first team of coaching staff.
In July 2022, four days after announcing his retirement of playing, the former midfielder of England was announced as the new head coach of Arsenal Under-18S and he led them to the FA Youth Cup final 2022-23.
He then left Arsenal last October to take over as the first team coach to Carrow Road and was then interim boss for the last two games of the season before he leaves.
Determined to get back into the competition, he was interviewed for the job of the Plymouth manager in June, but it was given to Tom Cleverley.
Wilshere was clearly interested in the job of Arsenal Under-21s, but the offer changed with Max Porter, after he had worked in the Club Academy since 2017, reserved for that role.
Arsenal wanted Wilshere Arsenal's Under-19S in the UEFA Youth League and also manage the EFL trophy while supporting the Under21S.
Nevertheless, Wilshere seemed understandably that this job was not a satisfactory progression of his previous arsenal role.
The fact that he has supervised the progress of Myles Lewis-Skelly, Ethan Nwaneri and Max Dowman shows you his qualities as a coach.
Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri both spoke that Wilshere has a good influence and he would talk to them in the canteen about how they can act off the field.
Yet Wilshere, with 34 international caps, is still learning. He currently takes his UEFA Pro license together with experienced managers Dave Challinor and Gareth Ainsworth together with a number of young coaches.
Every year the FA asks a few of the American journalists to attend sessions in St George's Park to give media training with the coaches who follow their UEFA Pro license, the top coaching qualification.
The will of Wilshere, so used to dealing with the media, do not really have to do these doing fun conferences where we test the interviewees in fake scenarios.
Similarly, some coaches who take their badges have never come across the media before, so the training is important.
In conversation with Wilshere after the session, where he revealed that he trained for the London Marathon, he spoke with passion about coaching and seemed really focused.
With regard to media training, Arsenal did something similar with their young players.
I remember one day when the club asked me to talk to some of their young people in London Colney, the club hoped that Wilshere would be present, but he couldn't make it. He had to play a cup of draw for Bolton, where he was on loan.
During the session, however, there was a young player who seemed incredibly clear and seemed really curious.
I asked who this self -assured young person was. The Arsenal officer told me: “He is from Poland. His name is Wojciech.”
Szczesny has also had a great career and although Wilshere's was not demolished by his fault, I am sure that he will be left in the game as a manager for many years to come.
Training day
Fair Play to Arsenal for going old school while they are planning to put chartered trains this season for a few away games.
This is because fans will find it difficult to get home from some games by public transport.
Many of the big clubs are criticized because they have not helped fans, but when teams go one step further, they must be welcomed.
Art of the nap
Mikel Arteta does not sleep at work in North Londs.
That's because the Arsenal boss has hired a specialist to help his stars to maximize the effectiveness of their snoozes.
Arteta believes that sleep is the key to recovery after a heavy match.
He thought that a specialist was needed to inform staff and players at Arsenal about the benefits of a solid chicken.
Arteta said to men in blazers: “I have a specialist, I brought one many years ago. Not only for myself, but also for the staff and the players because it is sleep …
“We have so much training on diet, something to eat, when eating, which is healthy or unhealthy, but with sleep there is still not enough education.
“For me it is the most fundamental part of the quality of your health.”
With sleep at the forefront of Arsenal's plans for the season, they might have to rename their beloved dinosaur mascotte 'Gunnersnore-us' …