After a difficult afternoon at Burnley, the winter break has come at just the right time for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal.
The Spaniard was appointed during the busy festive schedule and there was a point early on where he had overseen more matches than training sessions.
Thankfully for Arteta, he now has two weeks to prepare his side for their next match.
Such an amount of time is a luxury for any coach, but particularly for a new one like Spaniard as he looks to implement his style at Arsenal.
Arteta has made Arsenal solid in the defence, but the next two weeks will give him time to develop patterns of play going forward and add a cutting edge to the team’s attack.
Crucially, the trip to Dubai will also provide some valuable team-building time for the Gunners.
Every member of the squad is travelling out on February 7 for the five-day camp, with only Calum Chambers staying behind after recently undergoing knee surgery.
Next Arsenal fixture
vs Newcastle (Sunday February 16, Emirates Stadium)
So that means new signings Cedric Soares and Pablo Mari will get a chance to spend with their team-mates, while injured players such as Kieran Tierney can do some rehab in the warm weather.As for Chambers, he recently made an appearance at Arsenal’s London Colney training base the other week as he begins his long road back to recovery.
He was said to be in good spirits and Arsenal will be glad when they can welcome someone of his value, both on and off the pitch, back.
