09 January 2024 , 09:36
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Mikel Arteta has invited players' families on Arsenal's mid-season break to Dubai in an attempt to rejuvenate his squad after losing their last three matches.
With 11 days until their next fixture, the Gunners are due to travel out to United Arab Emirates on Tuesday for a winter break. Arsenal's recent disappointing run of results has seen them drop down to fourth in the Premier League table and crash out of the FA Cup after Sunday's defeat against Liverpool.
Arteta claimed on Sunday that his side needed "love" during a difficult stage of the campaign and has now told families they can attend Arsenal's mid-season trip in the Middle East, as per the Daily Mail. The Gunners boss is hoping his players can unwind following a hectic first half of the season, which has seen them already play 29 games in all competitions following their return to the Champions League.
The Arsenal players will decrease their training load out in Dubai with the trip aiming to get the squad fresh and ready to challenge during the final months of the season. The Gunners are set to spend six days away before returning ahead of their next Premier League game against Crystal Palace on January 20.
Although the Gunners lost against Liverpool on Sunday, there were plenty of positives to take away from the performance. Better finishing would have seen Arsenal progress, considering they created three more clear-cut opportunities (four) than their opponents (one), but weren't clinical enough on the day.
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Speaking after the game, Arteta admitted he was frustrated with his side's lack of composure in front of goal. "Because the ball didn’t go in the net," the Spaniard said, when asked about why Arsenal didn't score.
Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat against Liverpool on Sunday (Getty Images)"We didn’t take the chances, I haven’t seen any other team in the first six months that have generated what we have done against them in the last two games and we’re not capitalising - not today, in the last few games - that’s why we are not winning games.
"Performance-wise, merit-wise, there is no question, but to win the game actually the results say something very different. When my team plays with that attitude, with that courage, with that desire and do what they’ve done to probably the best team in Europe at the moment in terms of momentum, what can I do? Stay behind them and support them."