Arsenal fans believe Mikel Arteta employed a ‘hidden strategy’ he once joked about during the victory over PSV.

Arsenal fans are all in agreement following their dominant Champions League round of 16 first-leg victory over PSV.

Mikel Arteta’s side proved far too strong for their Dutch opponents, running riot at the Philips Stadion. Jurrien Timber opened the scoring in the 18th minute, followed by Ethan Nwaneri, who doubled Arsenal’s lead just three minutes later with an assist from Myles Lewis-Skelly. By the 31st minute, the Gunners were cruising as Mikel Merino added a third, though Noa Lang pulled one back for PSV with a penalty just before halftime.

However, Arsenal quickly regained control in the second half, with Martin Odegaard restoring their three-goal cushion. Leandro Trossard and Odegaard added further goals before Riccardo Calafiori sealed the emphatic win with Arsenal’s seventh of the night.

Despite the goal fest, fans noticed something intriguing—many believe Arteta implemented an unconventional tactical approach that he hinted at weeks ago.

Before Arsenal’s 2-0 Premier League win over Leicester on February 15, Arteta spoke to former defender Martin Keown, who jokingly suggested that Calafiori could be used as an attacker due to his goal-scoring displays against Manchester City and Wolves. Arteta responded with a cryptic remark to TNT Sports:

“It’s been done in the past, you know. Defenders have the ability to become a threat, especially against low blocks—it’s an option we have.”

Following Calafiori’s goal, fans took to social media, convinced Arteta had indeed deployed the Italian defender in an attacking role.

One fan commented: “We have center-forwards playing as defenders. Just look at that finish from Calafiori.”
Another joked: “Calafiori is more dangerous than Sterling in the final third—what a finish!”
A third added: “How do I even explain that Calafiori plays more like an attacker than a defender?”

After the match, Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard expressed his joy at the team’s performance.

“I really enjoyed that one,” he told UEFA. “At this stage, especially away from home, it’s always tough, so to get a result like this is incredible. We worked hard to improve after the last two games, and today showed what we’re capable of.”

Arteta also praised his squad for their response.

“I’m so happy for the boys, especially after the last two games where we didn’t score. We know the noise around that,” he told Prime Video. “It’s a massive result away from home in a competition we love and have missed for so many years. Tonight was really special.”