Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is positive about his team’s preparation and performance in the Premier League restart from the 17th of June.
On the 18th of June, Arsenal shall be facing Manchester City at Eitihad Stadium and that will mark the first time for Arteta going back to Man City after he left his position as the assistant manager to Pep Guardiola.
“Going back to Manchester City for the first time is going to be a very special day for me — and I’m really looking forward to it.” said Arteta, according to The Sun. “It will be very strange to be there without any supporters and I don’t know what kind of energy will be generated around the stadium.
“The players are certainly going to be able to hear me better and it’s important to motivate them and make sure they have the right energy levels to play like they used to.
“Some things are going to be different and it will be tricky to adapt to that, so we have to think about all these things now and prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead.
“We were on a strong run of results when the football stopped. I was really pleased, because we had been able to connect with our fans and develop the strong bond which had been missing at the Emirates for a few months.
Arteta is using the break due to coronavirus as much as he can to train his squad and he is pleased with their progress so far. He admits that the break wasn’t easy but since training started, the team has been getting stronger.
“We got everyone on board to buy into that and over the past few months I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the players much better, personally and professionally,” continued Arteta.
“We have created some strong links during these difficult moments and generated a really good bond between the whole staff, the board members and everyone around the club.”
“So I think we are in a strong position to restart and I think we are on the right track. There is still a lot of work to do — but we will get there.”
