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Arsenal will not be jetting off to Dubai during a first midweek break in over two months after win over Tottenham Hotspur in the North London Derby and ahead of Chelsea clash
Mikel Arteta denied that he would be sending his team off for cocktails when asked post-match following the 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. His Arsenal team’s Premier League title hopes are back on track as a result but a break to Dubai is not on the cards this season after previous excursions.
Manchester City had closed the gap after beating Newcastle United at the Etihad Stadium. Arsenal had endured a run of poor results when playing after their title rivals, and following the result, Pep Guardiola suggested he hoped his side would go and enjoy themselves with some drinks.
“It was massive,” the Man City manager said. “Newcastle are an incredible team. That game today is what we are going to face in the next 11.
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“Every game will be like that, a battle. Now we have three days off. I say to them, ‘what you have to do is take a lot of caipirinhas and daiquiris in these next three days, enjoy life,' and then we make proper sessions and go to Leeds.”
However, when it was put to Arteta after the win whether he would be operating in the same fashion as his City opposite, the answer was straight to the point. “Cocktails? I don't drink cocktails,” Arteta replied. “So, no, we will do our own thing.”
This aligns with what football.london understands which is after a period of time off, over the 24-48 hours following the win, it is considered a normal training week for the club. There will be no flying off to Dubai like in previous seasons.
Arsenal have reached the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time since 2020, which previously had been what allowed the Gunners to take the warm-weather breaks. Yet there was no denying how vital Arteta felt the midweek break was when rating the benefit of having no game between weekends for the first time since the week commencing December 15.
“Well, really, really important because obviously the amount of games that we are playing in every competition is just incredible,” he said. “And today gives you a chance to actually take a little breath, analyse what we're doing and go again until the international break. We're going to have a lot of games again.”
Chelsea is up next for Arsenal, as Liam Rosenior faces Arteta for the third time in the space of around a month. The Gunners knocked out their London rivals from the Carabao Cup as they booked their place in the final of the competition.
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