Interview

Arteta - The ideal prep time to restart football

What is the ideal length of time to get a team back to full fitness once we have the green light to restart Premier League football? 

Mikel Arteta realises he may not get exactly what he wants, but says a full pre-season schedule would be his choice.

"It's not what we need, it's what we're going to have!" our head coach told Arsenal Player. "I'm afraid that we're not going to have a lot of say in it, so we're going to have to adapt and make the most out of it.

"Normally, a pre-season should be between five and six weeks. I think you have that timeslot, you get the right preparation, you can work on the concepts that you need.

"Physically as well, you can expose the players in playing and during games sufficiently to get certain guarantees to compete in the right way."