"The Black Cats attempted to limit Arsenal's threat from set-pieces - specifically long throw-ins - by moving the advertising hoardings to give the Gunners less room for their run-ups. "It might have been the wind," Sunderland boss Regis Le Bris joked after the game. It didn't stop Declan Rice trying to hurl the ball into the box, but given that the visitors didn't score from a throw-in and the game finished all square, Sunderland can certainly argue it was a worthwhile ploy."
"It is not the first time the tactic has been used, with Sunderland doing the same against Coventry in last season's Championship play-offs, while Stoke's long-throw specialist Rory Delap accused clubs of giving them the same treatment. BBC Sport has looked at some of the other creative ways teams have tried to gain an advantage over their opponents down the years..."
"In a bid to get the edge over their Championship opponents, the Canaries painted the away dressing room "deep pink" because the colour is said to lower testosterone levels and have a calming effect on people. "Pink has an effect, not because it is pink, but because it's linked to childhood experiences," said Dr Alexander Latinjak, a lecturer in sport psychology at the University of Suffolk."
Sunderland reduced Arsenal's run-up space for long throw-ins by moving advertising hoardings, aiming to blunt set-piece threat and contributing to the visitors not scoring from a throw-in in a match that finished level after a late equaliser. The same hoarding tactic has been used before, including by Sunderland against Coventry, and has been singled out by long-throw specialists such as Rory Delap. Norwich painted the away dressing room deep pink in 2018-19 to lower opponents' testosterone and induce calm. Sports psychologist Dr Alexander Latinjak linked pink's effect to childhood associations and suggested coaches could exploit such color effects tactically.
Read at www.bbc.com
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