Ben Guest
With the Premier League’s inaugural winter break firmly underway, Mikel Arteta has discussed what he is most hoping to get out of the clubs trip to Dubai.
Arsenal jetted off to the UAE this week to conduct some warm weather training, with Mikel Arteta even taking the injured members of his squad away with him.
Since his appointment as Gunners boss just before Christmas, Arteta has had very little time to try and implement his ideas, and the former Man City coach has admitted that the trip to the Middle East us a perfect opportunity to ‘spend time together’.
“Just the fact of having everyone together,” Arteta told arsenal.com. “Not just the players but the staff and the backroom staff to spend some time together and work on some things that we have to improve because we haven’t really had time to work with the 20 or 22 players since I have been here.”
Arsenal have played eight games in all competitions since Arteta’s appointment, with players hardly being afforded a rest in what was a relentless period of football.
✅ Evening session
✅ Day two in Dubai 🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/sE6U24XORR— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 8, 2020
“They needed three or four days off to relax their minds as well, recover the bodies,” the former Arsenal captain said.
“They have been through a lot in the last few months and now I think they are ready to have five or six really good training sessions here before we go back to London and focus and prepare as well as we can for the game against Newcastle.”
While some Premier League teams have opted to stay and train in the UK, Arteta was asked what the benefit of travelling abroad was as opposed to staying in London.
“Hours together, to spend together, grab a coffee together, to have conversations, to have unit meetings, individual meetings, group meetings about the things we have to achieve,” he said. “To review what we have done.
“I have made a big review of what we have done so far in these five or six weeks, the things where we can improve, the areas where we have improved and that we have to maintain, that we cannot lose. Hopefully we can make another step forward as a team now.”
Next up for the north London club is a home game against Newcastle on February 16.
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