Arsenal are in Dubai for some warm-weather training.
The Gunners have a free weekend after they were eliminated from the FA Cup. They don’t play again until the 15th of February, when they travel to the King Power to take on Leicester City.
Instead of spending the break in England, Mikel Arteta has taken a big Arsenal squad to Dubai, where they will spend some quality time on and off the pitch.
During their stay there, Arteta has ordered Arsenal players to do one thing every single night.
Mikel Arteta’s rule for Arsenal players during dinners in Dubai
Arsenal won’t just be training and working on tactics during their time in Dubai, there will be some time to relax as well.
The Gunners were in the Middle East last year too, and photos and videos showed players having some fun away from the pitch.
Arteta often allows families to join the players as well, which is a positive thing that must be appreciated by everyone at the club.
The Arsenal manager has, however, imposed one strict rule when the players and the staff are having dinner – nobody is allowed to sit next to the same person every night.
That, according to Charles Watts, is to improve team bonding and ensure that all the players talk to each other instead of having their own groups.
The journalist said in a video on his YouTube channel: “He (Arteta) views this sort of session, which is why he is always so keen to go to Dubai for this sort of week is that, yes, it’s about training, but it’s also about the squad coming together.
“When they go to dinner each night, they’ll be sat on different tables. They’re not allowed to sit with the same people every single time because he wants everyone to talk, everyone to connect, everyone to come together and that will be exactly the same as what they’re doing while they’re over here.
“He views it as really, really important this trip.”
What happened at Arsenal after their Dubai trip in 2024
Arsenal went through a difficult spell in late December and early January before they flew out to Dubai last year.
The Gunners had suffered defeats to West Ham and Fulham in the Premier League and had also crashed out of the FA Cup after losing to Liverpool.
Arteta felt that a Dubai trip would help change things, and he was spot on.
Arsenal won 16 of their remaining 18 league games after returning. They were unstoppable in some games.
Fans are hoping the same will repeat after this Dubai trip – the Gunners will have to be at their absolute best to have any chance of success in the remainder of this season.
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