Mikel Arteta led first team training for the first time in two weeks as Arsenal’s slimline senior squad gears up for a behind-closed-doors friendly with Watford at London Colney.
Shorn of 10 stars who are representing their countries at the World Cup, the session was fleshed out with a couple of youngsters from Mehmet Ali’s under-21s.
Sambi Lokonga, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Rob Holding, Cedric Soares, Reiss Nelson, Gabriel Magalhaes, Marquinhos, Matt Smith and Myles Lewis-Smith were all pictured in attendance.
Kieran Tierney, Martin Odegaard, Fabio Vieira, Mo Elneny and Karl Hein have an extra couple of days off after featuring in internationals after the 2-0 win at Wolves.
The Gunners are due to travel to Dubai for a warm-weather training camp later in the week and will face Lyon and AC Milan in the Dubai Super Cup at the Al Maktoum Stadium on the 8th and 13th December respectively.
It’s hoped that some of the players currently in Qatar – those eliminated after the conclusion of the group stages and in the early knockout rounds – will be reintegrated into full training by the time Juventus visit the Emirates for a further friendly on 17 December.
It’s been years since I had a behind-closed-doors friendly.
It’s just that kind of behaviour that led to the fall of the Roman Empire!
Up and down like the Assyrian Empire!
Did anyone spot Paul’s Python reference on Arsenal Vision today?
They couldn’t tell their Assyrian from their elbow half of the time.
I hope you kept a clean sheet.
Shouldn’t that be Myles Lewis-Skelley?
Emile Smith Rowe?
Emile Rows Miles?
Satms that there is Matt Smith and Myles Lewis-Smith, but no Emile Smith
Eddie not there?
I don’t think anyone is getting eliminated from group stage