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The Arsenal squad were prevented from doing something they wanted to do as hectic fixture schedule takes toll
Mikel Arteta “wished” he could have jetted his Arsenal side off to Dubai ahead of their Premier League clash with Chelsea.
The Gunners have benefited in recent seasons from warm-weather training camps but with time short, it was not possible in a first midweek off from action since the middle of December.
Arsenal’s progression through all four competitions has generated a hectic schedule, but Arteta did admit that he gave his players some time off after their North London Derby victory.
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“It has been different, because obviously we haven’t had the time to do that,” he said. “So they had some time off."
He added: “Very good for our preparation I believe, and hopefully we can show that on Sunday.”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola joked he hoped his players would enjoy some cocktails and subsequently several of his squad, including Erling Haaland, pictured themselves jetting away from England.
Arteta, however, admitted that he and his team had decided to go a different route, and for the players instead to stay closer to home.
“We have had times throughout this period when the players have had the opportunity to do that as well,” he said.
“We are constantly talking to them about their needs and what they want. We believed that this time it was better to stay here.
“We changed it a little bit differently to what we have done in the past. Hopefully, it was the right decision.”
Despite the fact that Arteta made it clear that he and others had wished to be jetting off to the likes of Dubai once again, he revealed that even when offered the chance for some time off, his team still gravitated toward spending time together.
“That’s the theory, and I wish we could be in Dubai,” Arteta said enthusiastically.
“So, if we had one or two days, I can guarantee you that we [would’ve been] in Dubai for a few days because everyone was dying for it.
“But then you get very surprised, because sometimes when I give them the day off, and you think they don't want to see each other, and then I find out that eight or ten players were having dinner in somebody’s house or spent the whole afternoon together.
“That is the beauty of it, the fact that they want to be together as they feel that being together is the best thing they can do. And that was the case this week as well in a lot of cases.”
It could be argued that this unity is what sees the team respond so well in times of adversity.
Be that from Wolves to the North London Derby or even in more specific moments, such as Declan Rice’s mistake against Tottenham.
The team kicked on from both situations positively, but Arteta is hoping this will not be a mistake that repeats itself again on Sunday.
“It's football as well. So Declan made one in the second half. It was a very similar action and didn't end up in a goal, but it was very close to that. So very, very unusual," he added.
“Obviously, you want to eradicate anything that is a gift to the opponent, but sometimes it happens. Hopefully it happens now, and it won't happen again.”
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