The World Cup break is here, but is it a good or bad thing for Arsenal?
As the Premier League wrapped up - temporarily - over the weekend, it turned out to be the perfect one for the Gunners as they were confirmed to be top of the table at Christmas following Manchester City's defeat at home to Brentford and then celebrated the feat with a 2-0 win over Wolves.
Now, there is a particular omen with regards to being number one on Christmas Day that should be enough to excite any Arsenal supporter as in 10 of the last 13 seasons, the team that leads the way on December 25 has gone on to be crowned Premier League champions.
READ MORE: Full list of Arsenal players going to Qatar 2022 World Cup including Thomas Partey decision
But it's important to keep in mind being top at Christmas this season presents a unique scenario as there's still 24 games left for the Gunners to play when the campaign resumes on Boxing Day and that includes fixtures at home to Man City and Everton which have yet to be rescheduled.
So with all that in mind coupled with Arsenal opening up a five-point lead over Pep Guardiola's side at the top of the Premier League table on Saturday night, there is a debate to be had as to whether the break for the World Cup is a help or a hindrance for Mikel Arteta and company.
Interestingly, the Spaniard doesn't appear to be in favour of the break: "When a team is in that moment you want to carry on playing of course, but that’s not possible," he said after the win at Molineux when asked if it's a bad thing that the Premier League has paused for the World Cup.
"We have to use that time as best as possible. For those not participating in the World Cup they will have some time off which they fully deserve and the rest can just fulfil a dream that every kid has to have the chance to represent their team in a national cup. It doesn’t get better than that."
To get some more views on the situation, football.london's Gunners writers Kaya Kaynak, Tom Canton and Tashan Deniran-Alleyne have discussed which side of the fence they sit on with regard to the World Cup break.
Kaya Kaynak - Chief Arsenal correspondent
As far as I'm concerned the World Cup is a welcome boost for this Arsenal team. The reason I think that with this group, in particular, is the comradery that clearly exists among them.
That bond was fostered intensely throughout the trip to Dubai in January of this year, while the pre-season tour of America was key too. Another trip away for this group should only bond them even further. The fact that many players who leave the World Cup early will be able to join up with the team so easily from Qatar will be an even more welcome boost.
On top of that it's unlikely that too many of the Arsenal players will be regularly starting and going all the way through to the finals. Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka are more or less the only two guaranteed to be playing pretty much every game as things stand, with Gabriel Jesus, William Saliba and Bukayo Saka all unsure as to whether they are regular starters for their nations.
The risk of injury feels low and for those left behind it's a warm weather training camp where Mikel Arteta can work with them on the training ground. We've seen what the Spaniard is capable of in limited time so far, so who's to say what he can do with four extra weeks to work with his team.
What are your thoughts on the World Cup break? Leave a comment to let us know
Tom Canton - Arsenal Writer
I should certainly preface this by outlining that I am an optimistic person and therefore looking for the silver lining is always in my nature. That said, I do objectively look at the World Cup being a help to the Gunners even in a season where the momentum has been with them
Arsenal see 10 players go to the World Cup with eight being first-team regulars. Of the eight, Bukayo Saka, William Saliba, Thomas Partey, Granit Xhaka and potentially Ben White are likely to play regularly for their respective nations with only the Frenchman having the best chance of reaching the final.
For Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, their minutes are likely to be minimal but the benefit to their morale of being selected is significant. Potentially rested, they could both return to Premier League action reinvigorated and ready for the run to the title.
The players staying behind will have around ten days rest before they rejoin the Arsenal coaching staff for training and as many as four friendly matches against Watford, AC Milan, Lyon and, potentially, Barcelona. For players like Fabio Vieira whose pre-season was stolen through injury, this is of further benefit for integration and matches without pressure.
I look forward to seeing if the World Cup sparks anything in the recruitment team too ahead of January. Just as long as it isn’t in reaction to any injuries that I, like almost all other Arsenal fans, are praying hard do not befall our team.
Tashan Deniran-Alleyne - Arsenal Writer
If I was asked this question after the draw with Southampton and amid Bukayo Saka's injury scare against Nottingham Forest, I would have said the World Cup break couldn't come soon enough for Arsenal as it looked like the number of games was catching up on what isn't exactly the largest squad.
However, now I am very much worried about the break. This is in relation to the back-to-back away wins over Chelsea and Wolves which has extended the lead at the top of the table over Manchester City to five points, as my concern is that a lot of the momentum built up will be lost as six weeks is a long time to wait for the next competitive game.
We also have no clue what impact the World Cup will have on those who have been selected as usually, they would have a number of weeks to deal with any post-tournament hangover, but this time around it could be a matter of days before being thrust back into Premier League action.
Aside from Emile Smith Rowe potentially resuming full training, I don't see too many positives of this six-week break from Premier League action and it's going to be a case of hiding behind the sofa, praying for the best if any Arsenal player at the World Cup suffers an injury scare.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Leave a comment to let us know your thoughts on the World Cup break.
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