Mikel Arteta admits that he and his teammates must knuckle down to the nitty gritty of pre-season training on the upcoming tour of Asia despite the obvious fanfare that will greet their arrival in the region.
Facing a hectic three-week schedule that includes matches in Indonesia, Vietnam and Japan the club have been left with no choice but to incorporate a ‘boot camp’ that is usually undertaken in the foothills of the Alps.
Underlining the necessity of taking the Japan camp seriously, the Spanish midfielder told Arsenal.com that the four-day period between facing Vietnam and Nagoya Grampus will come as a welcome break from entertaining supporters both on and off the pitch.
“It’s a big thing because this year we’re going to spend almost three weeks over there so it’s going to be half of our preparation,” he said.
“We know that we’re going to have to do a lot of activities over there but the training has to be quality as well.
“The boys are going to take those four days [in Japan] to increase the amount of work we do during the day. During the first eight or nine days of the tour, we haven’t got much time to train hard because we’ve got game after game and a lot of travelling as well.
“I think it’s important that when we get that break, we get a camp there and get ready.”
An announcement on Arsene Wenger’s final travelling squad is expected tomorrow. In the meantime, check out Jeorge Bird’s latest update here for a run down on which of the club’s youngsters might be handed a chance to impress.
hope they come to India one day . massive fan base here
Amen
have converted a few of my Indian work colleagues to football but i didnt know there was any Football fan base much more any Arsenal fan base at that there.
There are lots of fans here. the first club to set up operations here will probably win the entire fan base(India is the second most populated country in the world). shame most of them are manure cunts, messi fanboys or glory hunters even though i have met lot of genuine gooners here.
Hear Hear!
I can’t read his name without going- ARTET-AAAAAAA!!!
(THAT goal against man city)
ARRRRTETTTAAAAAA
http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m26ade8VZ51qfcdgyo1_250.gif
that is all.
Would have been perfect to have all our new signings coming along to bond with the rest of the team on the tour. Now they’ll be playing catch-up due to our disappointingly sluggish transfer activities. Nonetheless, I hope the team have a great tour and come back ready to rock and roll in the new season.
This guy is AWESOME
Hopeful for a successful tour and all that comes with it!
I wish they would bring some joy to an expat/exiled gunner and visit America, or specifically Chicago.
I really doubt the American market has enough potential to make a tour worthwhile. It’s a country distinct from its Asian (and other) counterparts in that it has several extremely well-supported professional leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and way down that list in terms of popularity…MLS), and a viewing public that has largely already firmed up their sporting allegiances after years and years of highly televised events (and the current dedicated soccer fans in the US don’t need any more marketing to be convinced, particularly since the availability of Premier League matches on television often exceeds those available in the… Read more »
They’d come to the states if it was their most lucrative option, I would assume. But still i want
a friendly in Chicago ffs
My understanding of these tours is that they are not based on how much money we get up front to come over there, but rather on the potential of that market to generate revenue. Maybe the US could offer more money for a few friendlies on their soil, but it’s a largely tapped market with very little potential to expand. Asia, on the other hand…
…but don’t get me wrong, I’d love to see Arsenal play in the US.
If I was a bastard, I’d thumb you down precisely because you seem to sweep out all the space where you could get thumbed down for in your comments.
I’m not, though, so i’ll let someone else do it 😉
Uh…thanks?
It’s always nice to have my procatalepsis appreciated. Procatalepsis is not a euphemism, by the way.
Meh, the saying “no news is good news” is bollocks, what the fuck’s happening on the transfer front…FFS!!
It will happen when it happen
Happens
Captain Fantastic
Captain
So it’s looking more and more a certainty there won’t be a nice shiny new player to show off on the tour. Just have to hope that Arsene’s absence isn’t pivotal in closing any deals while they’re away. He’ll just have to leave Dick alone. Let’s hope he can pull it off.
Dick may be coming for Higuain, but remember it took him ages to pull off Joel Campbell.
As long as we have convinced player and started negotiations, I think Arsene’s absence is good.
Bunburyist–
MLS averages better attendance than NHL and NBA, I believe.
Is that right? I find that difficult to believe, but hey, if true, that’s great.
Nonetheless, like I say above, I think these summer tours are less about stroking an EXISTING market (which the US has), than they are about tapping markets with the most potential to grow.
Are you referring to attendance or popularity? Because a basketball coat has at most 20000 seats while a football pitch will have over 50000. popularity is a different thing from attendance when conparing different sports.
http://m.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/03/nba-less-popular-than-mls/63684/
Yes, I was surprised, too.
How i wish Arsenal come to South Africa.. Because i refused to see Manure, Sp#ds, and the livers.. Just wish to see my Arsenal.. But my dream is to go to see an Arsenal Match at the Emirates..!!
Great attitude from Arteta. Because as much I see the necessity of these tours in the modern game, I do think they detract from really knuckling down and getting a strong pre-season in. So it’s good to have a mature head out there to keep everyone down to earth and focussing on the real game at hand.
I like ‘nitty gritty’
This transfer window isnt going to well.
Higuain looks unlikely now and Suarez imo will go to Madrid.
@ bunburyist “less about stroking an existing market than they are about tapping into a new market”–
—how do you explain the trip to Finland then? with their whopping 5.4 million people!
They’ll be coming to America sooner or later.
Finland is coz of jenks. He said he wants to…..erm…erm….see his…..erm….erm.
Wait! Wait!….I can explain this.