Arteta downplays Arsenal's hectic away schedule, jokes about sleep
Mikel Arteta has played down suggestions that Arsenal's busy run of away fixtures is taking a toll on his squad, though he admitted the upcoming international break could not have come at a better time for his own rest.
Speaking in a video interview with Sky Sports, Arteta was asked about the demands of Arsenal's recent travel heavy fixture list. Rather than dwelling on the difficulty of it, the Arsenal boss made light of the situation, joking that the international break would give him a chance to catch up on sleep.
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What Arteta said
Arteta's comments came across as relaxed rather than concerned, suggesting he is not using the schedule as an excuse for any recent results. The Sky Sports clip shows him addressing the topic with a smile, treating the hectic run of away games as simply part and parcel of the season rather than a genuine problem for his squad to overcome.
That tone fits with how Arteta has generally handled questions about fixture congestion throughout his time at Arsenal. He has often preferred to focus on recovery, rotation and squad management rather than publicly complaining about scheduling, even when Arsenal have faced a dense run of matches across multiple competitions.
Context around the squad
The comments arrive during a period when Arsenal have had other squad matters to manage. Sky Sports' own coverage around this period has included Arteta discussing Ben White's England recall, calling the defender “brilliant” and noting “he looked really happy, he's earned it”. There has also been visible progress on the injury front, with first pictures emerging of Saliba returning to Arsenal training after a spell out.
Elsewhere, Arteta has not been afraid to be critical when he feels standards have slipped, previously saying Arsenal were “far from our standards” during the second half of the win over Slavia Prague. That willingness to call out below par performances, paired with his relaxed stance on the travel schedule, points to a manager picking his battles carefully rather than reaching for excuses.
With the international break now approaching, Arsenal's players will get a rest from the relentless club calendar, and by his own admission, so will Arteta. The timing allows the squad to recover physically before Arsenal return to a schedule that has featured a heavy concentration of away fixtures in recent weeks.
Attention will now turn to how Arsenal manage the period immediately after the break, with the squad expected to be refreshed and any fitness concerns, including Saliba's continued recovery, likely to become clearer in the coming days.
