After two weeks stewing on that irritating draw at Sunderland, hopes were high that Arsenal would enjoy a post-Interlull boost with a raft of players returning. Instead, the cavalry hasn’t so much charged over the hill as wandered up in dribs and drabs – and new injuries have only added to the pile.
It’s hardly ideal with Sp\*rs, Bayern Munich and Chelsea all looming in the next seven days; a daunting trio of games that will shape the start of a relentless run through to spring.
Still, Arteta isn’t blinking. He’s refused to lean on injuries as an excuse all season and, with his side unbeaten in 14, top of the Premier League and strong in Europe, he’s not about to start now.
“We’ve done the preparation, and in the international break, we knew what was coming was, again, very intense but beautiful as well,” said Arteta.
“We had a very tough start of the season as well, we were ready for that. And now, have everybody healthy, or the most of them healthy, which is a key thing obviously. And then again, get in the rhythm, start to generate momentum again.
“We’re in a really good moment and we need to continue to do that game by game because the games are going to be very thick and fast. And we need to be ready, everybody has to be at it.”
Interlulls might irritate supporters, but they do offer rare breathers for non-internationals and staff. With no more until March, the next stretch will be full throttle. Arsenal will play at least 23 matches in that time – a run so intense it’s almost enough to make you queasy. Arteta remains calm.
“We have a lot of work to do until that point \[the end of the season\]. Again, go game by game, put the focus in the present, the things that we can do and we can control, try to improve every single day.
“Try to be a better team, we’ll have different periods, playing different kinds of oppositions, we’ll have different resources available as well in the team. We’ll try to be as competitive as we can and win as many games as we can.”
First up is the North London derby, a fixture that needs no hype. The atmosphere will be crackling, and with the club reportedly helping supporters with a pre-game tifo (apparently taking notes from the PSG mishap), plus Sp\*rs fans still seething over Eberechi Eze’s move, it promises to be lively.
“It’s just different,” said. “It’s a big city, but it’s a big rivalry; it’s a part of London that we want to conquer, and they want to do the same.
“There’s been a lot of shifts as well over the years, who has been more dominant, and it’s just beautiful, especially when we play at home in front of our people, we know what it means to them and the energy that they’re going to bring, the energy that the team is going to bring in every single action and it’s just a privilege to play those kind of games, we cannot wait to get to Sunday.”
Managing emotions in that cauldron is always a challenge, but Arteta’s message to his players is straightforward.
“It’s about bringing it to the table, that’s the context of the game, and that’s a superpower,” he said.
“When you have everybody playing with that passion and with the emotion within the team in every single ball, it makes a difference, and we’re very privileged the way that the fans have been with us at Emirates Stadium and especially against our rivals and on Sunday.
“I’m sure that the team is going to behave and make them very proud.”
Arsenal haven’t lost a home Premier League derby to Sp\*rs since 2010 and head into this one on a six-game unbeaten run against their neighbours. Harnessing emotion without losing focus has been key.
“Yes, that emotion requires something else, and you cannot be too hyped, but, at the same time, that game demands that in every ball and every action, you have to be at it a bit more than in any other game.
“We have found a really good balance. Obviously, we’ve played well, some days we have won, some days we’ve been a bit lucky as well to win, that’s fair as well to say. So on Sunday we need a really, really good performance to beat them.”
What awaits is a very different Sp\*rs side to the high-tempo chaos of the Postecoglou era. Thomas Frank’s version is more measured, more structured, and much harder to break down – a shift that hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I think Thomas has brought something very different to what they had before,” noted Arteta.
“And you just have to see his record and how remarkable a job he did in his previous club. He’s given a very clear identity to the team, how they want to play, how they want to compete, and it will be very tough.”
Sp\*rs may already be eight points adrift of Arsenal, but sitting fifth marks a significant improvement – even if some believe the underlying numbers flatter them. Arteta wasn’t entertaining that line publicly.
“I think when you start to be in the part of the season that we are in, you have to really earn the right to be where you are,” he said.
“I think they’ve done a lot of very, very good things. They’ve set out to win, they’ve won in some tough places as well. Their record away from home has been very impressive as well. So you need to merit that, nobody gives you anything in this league.”