The World Cup is finally upon us after over four years of anticipation, with every country looking to stake a claim in this year's competition. There are plenty of things that make this one unique though as the timing makes it the first ever winter tournament, breaking away from the usual summer format.
That has created challenges when it comes to Europe as a mid-season break in the calendar has had to be factored in and that could impact the winner of the World Cup as much as the domestic leagues. For Arsenal, it will see them return from the month-long break as league leaders.
With January closer in the schedule than normal, they could be handed an advantage in being able to make signings earlier and into the team compared to a regular season. Mikel Arteta has already hinted that his squad is light in numbers and claimed that plans for January have to change with their unexpected rise.
