Mikel Arteta is well aware of the importance of a full pre-season schedule for his Arsenal squad.
"Obviously the physical aspect is very important," the Gunners manager said when speaking to the club's official website last summer. "After five weeks, the players need to get in good shape and the best possible condition to compete at the levels that the Premier League requires.
"Then mentally, we need to prepare the team with the ideas that we have, with the values that we have, with the ambition that we want to take into the league. Third, to get the cohesion of the team right, the understanding of the game, what we are looking for, our game model, our principles, and how we're going to develop that in the next five weeks to get to the Premier League in the best possible stage."
