Mikel Arteta faces an unusual problem during Arsenal’s extended international break.
The Gunners will go almost three weeks without a competitive fixture following Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Brighton.
Normally, a gap of that length could provide an opportunity for a behind-closed-doors friendly at London Colney.
This time, Arsenal may simply not have enough senior players available to make one worthwhile.
football.london reports that more than 20 Arsenal players are currently unavailable to Arteta because of international call-ups and injury issues.
That makes a private friendly during the break unlikely.
Arsenal left short during international break
Arsenal have sent a substantial number of players away with their national teams during the extended September and October international window.
The situation has become even more unusual following several withdrawals.
Declan Rice was originally selected by England but has since pulled out because of an injury issue.
Our latest Declan Rice injury update explains why the midfielder will now remain away from Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
Piero Hincapié is another player no longer expected to travel after being omitted from Ecuador’s squad.
Our Arsenal international break tracker contains the latest list of players away with their countries and those remaining at London Colney.
The number of absences leaves Arteta with only a limited senior group available for full-team work.
Why Arsenal could skip a behind-closed-doors friendly
Arsenal have previously used international breaks to arrange private matches for players who need minutes.
Those games can help fringe players maintain match sharpness and give injured players another step in their recovery.
The circumstances are different this time.
With so many senior players unavailable, Arteta would need to rely heavily on academy players simply to create two competitive teams.
The international programme also affects several of Arsenal’s leading youngsters.
Max Dowman has been named in England’s Under-19 squad and could even be given an opportunity to train with Thomas Tuchel’s senior group following a series of England withdrawals.
That further reduces the number of first-team-adjacent players available at Colney.
Arteta still has valuable work to do
Not playing a friendly does not mean the break is wasted.
Arsenal entered the international window after their first league defeat of the season.
Brighton exposed problems in Arsenal’s build-up and attacking structure during the 3-0 defeat at the Amex.
Our tactical analysis of Brighton’s man-to-man press examined how Fabian Hürzeler’s side disrupted Arsenal’s progression from deep.
Arteta now has additional training time to work with the players who remain in north London.
That can include individual fitness programmes, technical work and tactical sessions in smaller groups.
The challenge is that many of the players who will be required to execute any changes against Leeds will not return until shortly before the Premier League resumes.
Leeds await after three-week break
Arsenal’s next competitive fixture is against Leeds United at Emirates Stadium on Saturday, 10 October.
The Premier League has confirmed the game will kick off at 12:30 BST and will be shown live on TNT Sports.
The official Premier League fixture schedule confirms the amended kick-off time.
Our Arsenal next-five-fixtures guide outlines the wider run awaiting Arteta’s side once club football returns.
That makes the current break valuable, but also awkward.
Arteta has time to address the problems exposed by Brighton.
He just does not have most of his squad available to work on them.
