Mikel Arteta prepares Arsenal for arguably the biggest month of his career

Successful clubs know how important the New Year is to a productive campaign.

And Arsenal are now learning that lesson, as Mikel Arteta’s side face a really testing January with four different competitions to play in and nine games to play in that period.

It started positively, albeit slightly nervously, on Saturday with that 3-2 win on the South Coast at AFC Bournemouth - with Declan Rice stepping up to the plate and proving why he is arguably the best midfielder in the Premier League.

There’s just the small matter of Liverpool coming to the Emirates for a gigantic clash on Thursday, before the Gunners return to the South Coast to face Championship side Portsmouth in the FA Cup.

There’s also a two-legged Carabao Cup semi-final coming up against Chelsea, of which the first leg at Stamford Bridge is played this month, as well as tricky trips to Inter (in the Champions League), Nottingham Forest and Leeds United.

This month could be vital for Mikel Arteta

There’s no question that Arteta has significantly improved fortunes at the Emirates as he’s just passed his six-year anniversary since taking charge.

But, when he’s travelling home from Leeds on the last day of this month, he may well sit back and realise just how far Arsenal have come if results are to go in his favour this month.

Partly the reason for that is just how tricky this month is on paper, as Arsenal notoriously have struggled in recent years at Inter and Nottingham Forest in particular - with Leeds’ upturn in form also making for a tough game at Elland Road.

Chelsea will be desperate to take a lead into the second leg at the Emirates in what will be Liam Rosenior’s first home game as manager at Stamford Bridge, while managerless Manchester United will still provide a strong test.

Rotation across this month will be key

Fortunately for the Gunners, this is the year where squad depth is at by far the strongest during the Spaniard’s tenure - and that will surely be put to the test this month.

Thanks to Arsenal’s blistering start to their European campaign, they are all-but guaranteed a spot in the top eight of the Champions League, so the trip to the San Siro and the home game against Kairat Almaty will surely be opportunities for Arteta to give rests to some key players.

Likewise the cup tie at Fratton Park next week, as there should be enough quality from the ‘fringe’ players in this Arsenal squad to beat Portsmouth, with the raucous Fratton Park atmosphere likely to be as much of a challenge as the quality on the pitch.

Therefore, this is a real opportunity for the likes of Piero Hincapie, Cristhian Mosquera, Christian Nørgaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly, to name just a few, to really make a statement, even if they are unlikely to knock any of Gabriel, Rice, Riccardo Calafiori and William Saliba out of the first team.

And right now, the floor is there for Arsenal to go and seize this month and enter February as favourites in a multitude of competitions.