Martin Keown says Arsenal are ‘on the beach’ amid warm-weather training in Dubai

Arsenal fable Martin Keown says his aged nine are ‘on the beach’ amid their warm-weather grooming travel to Dubai – but stresses it’s a bully thing.

The shot idiom ‘on the beach‘ is usually utilized to notation to a squad that has fto their standards driblet – oregon isn’t performing to the champion of their abilities – but Keown appears to person utilized it to suggest Arsenal are enjoying a rest.

Arsenal precocious headed to Dubai for a warm-weather grooming travel aft losing to Newcastle United successful the Carabao Cup semi-finals.

Mikel Arteta’s broadside had clip to alert retired to the United Arab Emirates due to the fact that they were not playing successful the FA Cup 4th circular connected the play conscionable gone.

The Gunners lost to Manchester United successful the 3rd round past month, which gave them a 10-day spread betwixt matches connected February 5 and February 15.

Arsenal’s Premier League rubric rivals Liverpool, meanwhile, were successful FA Cup enactment this play arsenic they suffered a daze elimination to Plymouth.

‘Let’s fto Plymouth person their infinitesimal successful the sun,’ Keown told talkSPORT connected Monday. ‘To bushed the champion squad successful Europe…’

Football pundit Keown was past interrupted by big Simon Jordan who chimed successful to ask: ‘It wasn’t their archetypal squad was it?’

Keown added: ‘No, but Plymouth played what was against them. Whatever squad Liverpool enactment out, that is inactive a monumental result.’

Jordan responded: ‘Of course, had Plymouth beaten Arsenal, you’d beryllium saying it was lone Arsenal’s 2nd string.’

Keown past said: ‘Arsenal are connected the formation this clip around. Maybe that’ll assistance them, actually, going forward.’

Gunners icon Keown aboriginal added that Arsenal’s aboriginal FA Cup exit whitethorn person been a ‘blessing’, with the squad still warring for the Premier League title.

‘With the magnitude of games different teams are having to play… we’ve said that Arsenal are connected a formation somewhere,’ Keown said. ‘It whitethorn person been a blessing.

‘Going into the [Plymouth] game, Liverpool had played 36 matches. That was much than Plymouth, which is antithetic arsenic the lower-league teams are usually playing each 2 oregon 3 days.

‘And we’re year-on-year present of players coming from World Cups, Euros, Covid… we are getting an atrocious batch of injuries. Liverpool person present got injuries. [Joe] Gomez yesterday… that was a sucker-punch for them.’

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s adjacent lucifer comes connected Saturday arsenic they look a travel to Leicester City successful the Premier League.

‘The squad person been continuing the hard enactment implicit the play connected the NAS Sports Complex grooming pitches successful Dubai,’ Arsenal posted connected their website connected Monday.

‘Academy youngsters similar Max Dowman person been learning much astir the first-team environment, taking each the proposal connected committee from Ethan Nwaneri and Myles Lewis-Skelly.

‘Mohamed Elneny stopped by to drawback up with his aged teammates too.’

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