Arsenal: 4 biggest positives from international break

For the final time in 2021, club football can resume without another impending international break on the horizon. There won’t be another one until March. You can hear the cheering, even if this one was rather more exciting.

Arsenal have gone into each of the three breaks with vastly differing outlooks. After the first one they were rock bottom of the Premier League with zero points and a -9 goal difference. That was rather tough.

When the second one came around in October there were distinct improvements, with five matches unbeaten in all competitions including that memorable North London Derby win.

And then finally with the most recent batch of matches Arsenal added five more games to that unbeaten streak, with them sitting pretty in fifth place in the table ahead of facing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday.

The 4 biggest positives for Mikel Arteta and Arsenal from the international break ahead of facing Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday

For the players there have been differing emotions with some missing out on qualification to the 2022 World Cup, some set to go through their respective play-offs to seal a spot and others qualifying directly for the Qatar showpiece in delightfully less stressful fashion.

All the while Mikel Arteta has been taking charge of training at London Colney, crossing his ten toes and ten fingers that as many of his 15 first team players away on duty will return unscathed.

Barring worries with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Folarin Balogun, as well as already established concerns over Thomas Partey, he appears to have to his wish.

Without factoring personal heartbreak for some of the members of the squad, it’s been a relatively successful international break once again. And, as it draws to a close ahead of the glorious but grueling winter fixture list, there are four main positives to draw.

1. The England Bond is Strong

Establishing a strong British core at Arsenal had been among one of the aims Arteta had set out for since his arrival on the job. It’s something Arsene Wenger made sure to instill, while the Gunners’ long standing flirt on the cusp of the homegrown quota also needed seeing to.

Not only has this group been formed effectively, they’re all pretty decent at kicking a football too.

Bukayo Saka is now a staple with the Three Lions, and he was joined by Aaron Ramsdale and Emile Smith Rowe this time around, with the pair making their senior debuts against San Marino and Albania respectively.

This trio were bizarrely starved of Benjamin White’s presence as Gareth Southgate opted to go with his tried and tested over the two games, but it is surely only a matter of time before the three become four. After all, is there an English centre-back in better form?

(the answer is no)

Most important of all is the confidence the group will get from their call-ups. Arteta called for Smith Rowe to believe in himself more, which he must be doing now, and while Ramsdale may already be a confident lad, earning minutes over Sam Johnstone can only benefit him further.

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