Arteta and Konsa moment, injury hint - Five things spotted in Arsenal training ahead of Napoli
Ben White ahead of Arsenal training.(Image: Photo by David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Mikel Arteta put the Arsenal players through their paces ahead of Wednesday night's clash against Napoli in the UEFA Champions League.
The Arsenal boss will want to maintain his excellent record in the 'league phase' when he faces Massimiliano Allegri's side at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, having won each of last season's eight games and securing automatic qualification to the knockout stages.
Despite having already set the bar so high, there's still room for improvement. Back in May, the Gunners fell at the final hurdle, losing to Paris Saint-Germain on penalties, leaving Arteta hungry for a piece of European silverware.
Speaking to reporters at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday evening, following a 2-1 win over Chelsea, Arteta tipped his side to shift through the gears this term. He said: "I think it's an indication for us of how capable we are to perform at an even higher level than last season.
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"It depends on how we maintain and sustain that desire, that humbleness and continue every day to try to find a better version of myself and the team. We still have a lot to grow and a lot to offer, and this is the ambition of the team."
So, with that being said, football.london has looked at five things you may have missed in Arsenal training ahead of Wednesday night's clash.
Arsenal face Napoli in their opening Champions League fixture on September 9. Fans can watch the game live on TNT Sports via HBO Max or Prime Video's TNT Sports channel.
During the warm-up, the Arsenal players were required to form groups of three with teammates between ball-work exercises. When it was time to find a partner, Eberechi Eze quickly put his arm around Martin Zubimendi before Piero Hincapie and Gabriel Magalhaes raced onto the scene.
After a little squabble, in jest, of course, the latter accepted defeat and ran off to find a new group. Zubimendi and Eze were beaming from ear to ear; they couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces!
During a break in play at the Sobha Realty Training Centre on Tuesday morning, Arteta was spotted deep in conversation with Ezri Konsa, who's suddenly become one of the most important players in the Arsenal squad, with Cristhian Mosquera and William Saliba nursing injuries.
Mikel Arteta and Ezri Konsa during an Arsenal training session.
Ben White could be nursing some sort of injury. The Arsenal defender chose to heavily strap up his right knee before heading out onto the grass. The potential knock didn't appear to hamper his movement at all, but the sudden decision to apply medical tape, having previously gone without it in the indoor session, certainly caught the eye.
Max Dowman was joined by three other Hale End prospects on Tuesday morning: Marli Salmon, who's become a regular fixture in first-team training over the last year or so, Marcell Washington, and Charlie Purdy, a first-year scholar who's already been working closely with the under-18s.
Jurrien Timber and Bruno Guimaraes were spotted in training. Saliba and Mosquera were absent, however, so Arteta may not be able to make as many changes as he may have hoped.
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