Arsenal: Mikel Arteta reveals secret that has fuelled Premier League title charge
Mikel Arteta believes Arsenal’s team spirit will stand them in good stead as they approach the critical period of the season.
For the first time since Christmas, the Gunners have had a matchless midweek as they prepare to face Chelsea on Sunday.
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Manchester City also had a lighter schedule and Pep Guardiola urged his players to take off and drink cocktails to recharge their batteries.
Arteta decided against sending the team anywhere, even though the option of going to Dubai was tempting, but gave the players time off earlier in the week.
He highlighted the fact that many still chose to enjoy each other’s company as a further sign of the cohesion of this Arsenal team.
“I wish we could be in Dubai,” Arteta said.
“If we had one or two (more) days, I can guarantee you we were in Dubai for a few days because everyone was dying for it.
“But then you’re very surprised, like sometimes, when I give them a 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 at someone’s house or spending the whole afternoon together.
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“That’s the beautiful thing, the fact that they want to be together because they feel like being together is the best thing they can do. That was the case this week in many cases as well.”
Arsenal have previously held barbecues for players and their families when the fixture schedule eased.
However, when asked if it would happen again this week, Arteta replied: “In this weather? We only have one day on Wednesday, it was. No barbecue. But the barbecue is coming.”
Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday as they look to kick off their north London derby victory over Tottenham last weekend.
It has been an unusual week for Arsenal, who have had rare moments on the training ground, and Arteta is confident they will come out strong against the Blues.
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“It’s been different because obviously we haven’t had time to do it,” Arteta said.
“So they had a bit of time off. Afterwards we had a bit more time to train as well. We came together in different ways, for example (Thursday evening) we had the Arsenal Foundation event, it was wonderful to take part in. All the boys were there together.
“So it’s been a different week, very good for our preparation I think, and I hope we can show that on Sunday.”