Pre-season training begins in one week’s time – although some are already back

 

 

 

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By Tony Attwood

According to one report (in the Standard) a group of Arsenal players have already started pre-season training in Marbella ahead of the actual launch of pre-season training.  I don’t have the details of who was involved, but my guess would be that it would be those outside the regular first team selections.

As for the rest of the players who are not still, or have not recently been involved in international games they will come back in a week’s time on 15 July.  Brazil have now been knocked out of the  Copa America, so our two players (Martinelli and Jesus) involved there can now come back to England, take a break and then join up with the squad.

Apart from those Brazilian players, and those still involved in the Euros, pre-season will begin on July 15 – although those who were involved in the Marbella pre- pre-season camp will have a week off, for reasons that will not become clear at this time.   The under 21 squad have also already started their pre-season training.

Arsenal came fifth out of 26 clubs in the Professional Development League – the under 21s league they play in.  They got 36 points from 20 games in a league won by Tottenham with West Ham in second place – placings that tell us that what happens in this league is not related in any way to what happens in the Premier League.

Indeed if one looks  at the table of that league, one fact that might be noticed is that Manchester City came 23rd.  It would appear that some clubs are indeed using the under 21 league as a way of toughening up their under 18s!

Moving on, as you have probably heard Arsenal are back to the United States this summer, and I suspect this is the new way of life that we will see in each pre-season, given the investment in football in America, and of course the nationality of our owners.

Three games have been set up for the USA visit this year:

24 July: Bournemouth (Dignity Health Sports Park, Los Angeles, kick off 7.30pm)

27 July: Manchester United (SoFi Stadium, Los Angeles)

31 July: Liverpool (Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia).

England is eight hours ahead of Los Angeles and five hours ahead of Philadelphia which means a 3.30am kick off for those of us in the old country for the match against Manchester United.  The Philadelphia game is more accessible with a 10pm start for English fans.

Obviously this year, winning neither league nor cup last season, Arsenal are not able to defend the Community Shield, as it is an all Manchester kick around,   So Arsenal will be playing Bayer Leverkusen on 7 August and Lyon on 11 August.   I imagine those will be on one of the satellite channels as a regular evening kickoff.

In terms of returning from overseas summer kick around, Arsenal’s two men in Brazil should be back in training by around 29 July – so possibly available as substitutes for the August friendlies.

The Euros final is on 14 July so Arsenal players involved in that should be back for training on 5 August. However Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Kieran Tierney were all playing for countries that were knocked out at the end of the group stages so will be back earlier.

Quite how serious Tierney’s hamstring injury, that he got in the Euros against Switzerland has not been revealed (at least not as far as I have seen) but three weeks might give Zinchenko and Kiwior time to join Arsenal’s US Tour at the end of July and possibly play as substitutes as against Manchester United and Liverpool.  With Jorginho and Leandro Trossard both playing for countries who were knocked out in the first knock out round they also might be included in the American trip and get a substitute appearance.

But of course much depends on the players, how well they have adjusted and how many matches they have played.  This group of players include Bukayo Saka, Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, William Saliba, Kai Havertz and David Raya all having been involved in summer games along with Gabriel Magalhaes and Gabriel Martinelli, there are an awful lot of players who could have problems being fully fit in time.

After all the overseas trips, there are two final friends back on home territory, against Bayer Leverkusen on 7 August and against Lyon on 11 August.   The first league match is on 17 August against Wolverhampton Wands although this may be changed just to keep the TV companies happy.