After a week like this one, no wonder Mikel Arteta is schooling his players in the dark arts.

Arsenal were taught a lesson in being streetwise by Porto on Wednesday night as they fell to a 1-0 defeat in the first of their Champions League last-16 tie.

The game had 36 fouls, which is the most in a Champions League game this season. The ball was also in play for just over 50 minutes - which was the least of all the last-16 ties during the past fortnight.

Porto proved themselves to be canny operators and history suggests Arsenal could be in for more of the same when they host Newcastle on Saturday.

The Magpies frustrated Arsenal when they travelled to Emirates Stadium last year and held them to a 0-0 draw.

The ball was in play for just 51 minutes and 23 seconds, with Arsenal and their fans angered by Newcastle’s tactics to slow the game down.

Arteta himself, however, sees value in the art of being able to push the rules to the limit and learning the dark arts is something he wants his squad to do.

“There are ways to do it,” he said.  “It is the way you talk to them, showing them clips, training - putting them through scenarios, ‘pinching’ them a few times as well, learning from other players who do it really well and from teams who are masters at it. There are ways to do it.”

Arteta’s argument is the best teams and players have an edge to them - and it is hard to argue against that.

All the great sides in the past have had it, even Arsenal’s own Invincibles. They could outplay anyone, but if they needed to roll their sleeves up and go to battle, they could.

“It’s very important,” said Arteta. “That’s a way of competing for a team, you know. And you can tell that the best players in the world have the ability to take advantage - always.

“Overall when you build a squad you need that certainly but it comes. Sometimes it comes from the culture of the club.

“You see that there are clubs that they have that in their DNA. It is not something that you would directly link with Arsenal, that’s for sure, but it is something that has to be developed.”

This week, you would think, should speed up Arsenal’s learnings after facing Porto and Newcastle.

Both sides will try to disrupt the Gunners’ usual flow and it will be up to them to find a way through.

Even after defeat in Porto, they remain in a strong position in both the Champions League and Premier League.

A win on Saturday would close the gap on League leaders Liverpool to just two points and Arteta says his side has more to give.

Asked how much is in the tank, he said: “A lot because a lot of players haven’t played significant minutes this season - and some important players as well.

“I can sense that there are still five or six who still have a lot to offer to the team. And the other ones after what happened last year we want to make sure that this season is very different.

“That brings a lot of energy because we know what we are facing.

“I feel a lot of excitement, especially internally as we are right in the mix and we want to continue to be there.”