Mikel Arteta has vowed that Arsenal will continue to fight on two fronts this season, despite the difficulties of the fixture schedule.
The Gunners are two points clear of Manchester City in the Premier League title race going into Saturday’s match against Leicester City. They also have a game in hand on their main rivals for the trophy, but know how difficult it will be to win a first title since 2004.
Things are about to get even tougher for Arsenal, with Friday bringing the news that they will face Sporting Lisbon in the last-16 of the Europa League. The Sporting ties will see a return of the demanding Thursday-Sunday fixture turnarounds, but Arteta will not sacrifice the European competition in order to enhance his chances in the league.
“We will try to pick, all the time, the team we believe is the best to win on the day,” he said in his press conference on Friday. “Because if you do something different people will say: ‘Why did you pick this team and we didn’t win in the Europa League?’
“You’re never going to win that battle. We’re going to pick the players that are in the best possible condition, because it’s really important to win the game to be in a better condition to win the next one.”
While he won’t field a weaker team against Sporting – who they face on March 9 and March 16 before Premier League games against Fulham and Crystal Palace – Arteta conceded that his approach to training would have to change from next month.
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He said: “We’re going to have much less time to train and recover. I’m sure we’re going to have to share many more minutes around the squad, which is great because we’re going to have to give opportunities to everyone.”
Arteta has generally liked to maintain consistency in his selection, drawing on a small group of players for Premier League games. Injuries are one of the only factors that have changed things, with Eddie Nketiah coming in for Gabriel Jesus since the World Cup and Jorginho deputising for Thomas Partey recently.
Partey could be back involved against Leicester on Saturday after missing the 3-1 defeat by Manchester City and the 4-2 win over Aston Villa through injury. Jesus, who picked up a serious injury while playing for Brazil at the World Cup, is progressing more slowly.
“He’s progressing well,” Arteta said of the striker. “Doing more and more on the field. The knee’s not reacting so it’s really positive. We want him back as quick as possible, but also respecting the timescale that the doctors and the specialists are giving us.”
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