The Premier League was suspended at a time when Arsenal was beginning to find their feet under Mikel Arteta.
The Spaniard has overseen a dramatic change to the club’s fortune since he became their manager late last year. And he is currently managing an Arsenal side that remains unbeaten in domestic competitions this year.
The Gunners will resume their Premier League campaign with a game against Manchester City later in the month and some fans had been worried about their team’s tough opening fixture.
However, Mikel Arteta has revealed that this break has helped the club develop a strong link among everyone involved in the team including the players and the board.
He admitted that they still had a long way to go as a club, however, he was confident that they are in a good way in terms of getting to their destination.
He said as quoted in the Sun: “Going back to Manchester City for the first time is going to be a very special day for me — and I’m really looking forward to it.
“It will be very strange to be there without any supporters and I don’t know what kind of energy will be generated around the stadium.
“The players are certainly going to be able to hear me better and it’s important to motivate them and make sure they have the right energy levels to play like they used to.
“Some things are going to be different and it will be tricky to adapt to that, so we have to think about all these things now and prepare ourselves for the challenge ahead.
“We were on a strong run of results when the football stopped. I was really pleased, because we had been able to connect with our fans and develop the strong bond which had been missing at the Emirates for a few months.
“The supporters felt a certain belief — and were able to trust my ambition to change the situation quickly.
“We got everyone on board to buy into that and over the past few months I have really enjoyed the opportunity to get to know the players much better, personally and professionally.
“We have created some strong links during these difficult moments and generated a really good bond between the whole staff, the board members and everyone around the club.
“So I think we are in a strong position to restart and I think we are on the right track.
“There is still a lot of work to do — but we will get there.”
The Gunners are also still competing in the FA Cup and they will be looking to win that competition this season as well.
No match report form today’s game Martin ?
Friendly I know but would be good to get us all back into the swing of things
Eddie hit a hatrick ..
Highlights on YouTube aswell