Arsène Wenger has talked about how the focus will change in the next couple of pre-season friendlies when Arsenal play against Bayern Munich and Chelsea.
Speaking in his post-match press conference in Sydney on Saturday, Arsène discussed how the matches in Australia had mostly been a physical battle, but that this would not be the case in China.
Arsenal play Bayern Munich on Wednesday, followed by Chelsea on Saturday, in what sounds like your average week in February for the Gunners [not next season – edit]. Undoubtedly there will be a step up in quality from the previous two matches. Wenger pointed to the fact that we will be tested more defensively, saying:
“You play against teams who have top quality going forward as well. We will have to share better our focus on defending and attacking. In the last two games we focused a lot on attacking.”
Arsène then went on to talk about the climate difference. In Sydney, it is currently winter, so as a result it was pretty chilly, but in China it’s a much different story:
“We will play as well in a different climate. It will be very hot, so we have to adapt to that as well.”
This is probably a good thing in terms of preparation, as it will push the players’ fitness levels a bit further. The extra level of competition should also help better prepare the Gunners for the season.
Regardless of the results, hopefully it all goes smoothly.