London Colney was witness to the return of some of the Arsenal team today as Mikel Arteta welcomed back some of his squad from their holidays. The Gunners are due to face West Ham United on Boxing Day and will play four preparation fixtures before the Premier League’s return.
Games against Watford, Lyon, AC Milan and Juventus await Arsenal and a gradual return of players both participating and not in the Qatar World Cup. football.london understands that the club are staggering the return of the players, but some have decided to cut short their time off.
Some players had taken part in international friendlies. Fabio Vieira, Kieran Tierney and Martin Odegaard all played for their country. Players were afforded 10 days off but football.london understands some waived the full period in favour of getting back to the action sooner.
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After a friendly against Watford this week, the club will fly out to Dubai for the mid-season tournament that also features Liverpool. football.london understand that a chosen group of players, expected to feature some youth talents, will leave for the Middle East on Sunday.
With the group stage of the World Cup ending on Friday, the Dubai Super Cup may come too soon for those that make the trip across the Middle East from Doha to Dubai. Although, the friendly on December 17 against Juventus might be the first opportunity to see the players who have been representing their countries unless their respective nations reach the latter stages.
There will then be a nine-day break with no action, unless another behind-closed-doors friendly is organised, before the game with West Ham. Arsenal’s defeat against Brighton in the Carabao Cup third round means they will not be part of the action on December 20/21.
The Hammers were also knocked out in the third round by Blackburn, so they too will have a nine-day break. Mikel Arteta will want to ensure that the team is fully equipped to continue the strong form that they exited the first portion of the season.
Five points clear at the top of the table, games against West Ham and Brighton precede a tough start to 2023 in which the Gunners will face Newcastle, Tottenham and Manchester United. An FA Cup third round match will also feature in January and the consistent expectation of the transfer window will only further pressure on the off-field staff to reinforce the side successfully.
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