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As club football enters the final stage of the season, the Gunners planned to take a tour to Dubai during the international break with a 23-man squad. Except for a few players, Arsenal had many key figures traveling with the squad; the likes of Ozil, Lacazette, Koscienly, Mustafi etc were a part of the traveling, including some young guns as well.
Though the international break is considered necessary as the players have to prepare for the country-competitions like Euro, Copa America, World Cup, etc, it proves to be a bit frustrating for the fans as well as the players, taking into account the scheduling of the games.
Whereas this time, Arsenal were pretty lucky. They had their star players with them as Lacazette was not picked for the French side, Ozil and Koscielny have retired from their respective national teams, Suarez, Leno, Niles, Mustafi etc weren't picked by their national team coaches. This helps Arsenal as they prepare to enter the final phase of the season, with 8 games left in the league and a crucial tie against Napoli coming up in the near future.
Below, we look at 4 ways the tour could benefit the London outfit:
#4 Chance for the young guns to impress
Unai Emery is a coach who promotes youth. We have seen in recent weeks that Unai has preferred young blood over experienced players to perform for his team. The regular inclusion of Iwobi, Guendouzi, Niles, etc has proved this theory. However, some young players haven't impressed their gaffer, as Denis Suarez, Dinos Mavropanos, Jenkinson and Nketiah are yet to earn league starts for their side.
It's obvious Unai Emery won't set up a full-fledged starting eleven to face Al Nasr tomorrow. The aforementioned players might get into the lineup and this is an important chance for them to impress their coach.
Unai Emery will certainly be looking at all options as he has a huge task of getting UCL football back to the Emirates, so the likes of Denis and co have to prove their worth in order to help their gaffer in the final stage of the season.
#3 Sufficient rest for players as Arsenal lack squad depth
The fact that Arsenal are clearly the weakest team on paper in the 'Big Six' of the Premier League is an open secret in England. They do not have an appropriate squad depth and the Gunners have a reputation of buying players who lack bones.
In other words, Arsenal has suffered terribly due to injuries over the years, and that needs to be fixed. Players like Jack Wilshere, Alex Oxlade, Koscielny, Kolasinac, Monreal, Danny Welbeck, etc have been injury-prone players and have cost the team pretty much.
The outstation tour will help players to take a break from the cold London weather and freshen up for the last phase of the season. Arsenal's two main forwards, Ozil and Lacazette, have traveled with the other 21 players. Ozil's consistency and dedication in recent weeks have earned him a fixed starting spot and Emery would certainly rely on him to lead the team to glory by the end of the season.
#2 Warm-weather training
Warm weather training has proved to be very much beneficial for players playing in colder regions on a regular basis. Cold weather often tightens muscles and increases the risk of injury, especially when you haven’t done a decent warm up. In the warm weather, muscles are more pliable and the risk of pulling or straining something is reduced.
The bright shining sun often helps the players to train harder, motivating them to put in the extra shift. Training away from the normal routine helps players to refocus on their goals and objectives for the season.
During the winter we often see media reports about people suffering from a lack of vitamin D, especially amongst those that do not get enough sunlight, which is a natural source. Research has suggested not only that a lack of vitamin D can lead to sporting injuries but that the vitamin can actually improve muscle strength, speed, stamina and reaction time.
It is often said that a change is as good as a break and many of the benefits of warm weather training are psychological and this will certainly help Arsenal to end the season on a good note.
#1 Return of injured stars
The Gooners are absolutely delighted to see their injured players return to the squad. Arsenal have been unfortunate to lose three of their very vital players to injuries, just when they started to look in their best of forms. The likes of Bellerin and Holding were regular starters for the team and had significantly improved under Emery's coaching, whereas Welbeck played a key part in every cup game, scoring four times in six games.
Though Holding and Bellerin are yet to touch the ball, Welbeck has started playing and completing short exercises with and without the ball on the field, which tells us he might bag some appearances before the end of the season.
Warm weather training will significantly help the three improve their fitness and health conditions, which is more than just good news for Gooners across the globe.
