Arsene Wenger has admitted that long pre-season tours can lead to slow starts in the Premier League.
Wenger was always reluctant to go on pre-season tours because it wasn’t the most optimal way to prepare for a new season. While clubs were going to the US and Asia, Wenger preferred to take his squad to Austria for a quiet but intense training camp.
That changed in 2011, when Wenger finally caved to internal pressure and agreed to a tour of Malaysia and China. Since then, Arsenal have gone on tour every summer, visiting Vietnam, Japan, Australia and America as well as Malaysia and China. And since then, Arsenal’s start to the Premier League season hasn’t been great.
In the last six years, Arsenal have had just one opening day win and Arsene Wenger has admitted that the long tours are not the best preparation. “I’m sure we will have done the needed work,” he said, reports the Telegraph.
“Last year we went into the season with some players having a deficit in minutes played. We had only two or three players who had the number of [preparatory] games after the European Championships. [This time] we have more players ready to go into the competition. We have had tougher games as well so we should be ready.
“We had a very good record [at the start of the season] as long as we didn’t travel. We always won our first games. Since we travelled we struggled a bit more. We are in the same line as every other team. Everybody travels. Look at the international games in Asia or in the States, it’s the big teams that play against each other.
“Only the smaller clubs have the luxury to prepare at home. That’s part of the modern game and we adapt physically to it. I have to say we travel in good conditions … I’m sensible. I respect we sign big contracts with our sponsors and we adapt. They shouldn’t be used as an excuse for any bad result.
“We travel like everyone and we have no disadvantage because Liverpool, Chelsea, Man United – everyone does it. We are on even ground with everybody.”
Although every club travels, Arsenal have one of the worst opening day records of the top-six clubs in the Premier League. This summer, Arsenal travelled further than any other Premier League club and have one day less to prepare for the start of the new season.
Still, the Gunners have had less players missing due to international commitments this time, with the likes of Laurent Koscielny, Aaron Ramsey, Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette having full pre-seasons with Arsenal. Maybe this year will be different.