Arsenal’s preparations for Saturday’s clash at Leeds have suffered a major blow due to the weather. Mikel Arteta’s men are looking to end a three-game winless run in the Premier League.
Last weekend’s 3–2 home defeat to Manchester United saw Arsenal’s title hopes wobble as Manchester City closed the gap at the top of the table to just four points.
The Gunners’ latest preparations were thrown into turmoil after being forced to change their travel plans. Arsenal had initially planned to journey north via plane, but with thick fog forecast for Yorkshire, the league leaders opted for a safer route via coaches instead.
The 180-mile drive takes well over three hours, without factoring in the M1’s notorious traffic. While far from ideal, Arteta has a nearly full squad to choose from, with just teenager Max Dowman missing due to injury. Kai Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori are available again after featuring in the midweek Champions League win against Kairat.
Arteta remains focused on getting his team back on track, saying: “Certainly when you lose a game, you have a lot of feelings because especially the group of players are so competitive and they seek for excellence, and when you don’t reach it you ask yourself questions, and we did that. But I think my role is to bring optimism and the reality of where we are. Our club has a long history and to find a moment when in February, we’re in the position we are, is very difficult to find. We are doing so many things well and let’s focus on that. For sure we want to improve, we want to be better in every area, but with that sense of self-confidence and conviction that we are on the right path.”