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| Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks ago but has now recovered. He is in constant contact with his backroom staff and players to continue as normally as possible in such trying times |
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has revealed he has set his players โhomeworkโ as they continue to train alone due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Gunners, like all professional clubs, have their squads working on training regimes in the home after the football season ground to a halt following the spread of the virus.
Arteta tested positive for Covid-19 two weeks ago but has now recovered and he has spoken about how he is in constant contact with his backroom staff and players to continue as normally as possible in such trying times.
โThere are different aspects that we have to try to maintain,โ Arteta, who turned 38 on Thursday, said.
โThere is the psychological support that they need, which we are giving them, and as well Iโm giving them a lot of homework to do because Iโve been reviewing everything that weโve been doing since I joined.
โThere are things we have to maintain doing, improve and develop, and individually they are really enjoying the challenge.
โWe might get a few coaches after this virus, or at least a few players that are willing to go down that path, because I think they are really enjoying the process.
โIn difficult moments is where you really see the people and how they react, how they think and how they prioritise things.
โAll the phone calls Iโm having with all the members of the board and all my technical staff, all the coaching staff, all the players, how aware and how encouraged they all are to try to help, to try to be on board with the situation and to try to make things easier for the club has been amazing.โ
Arteta, whose wife โ as well as his childrenโs nanny โ also contracted coronavirus, was self-isolating before the government called for people to remain at home and has had a while to adapt to the situation.
While setting tasks for his squad has been an important part of his job, he also revealed how he has enjoyed being able to spend more time with his young family as a result.
He added: โI have three kids with a lot of energy! They are 10, seven and four so you can imagine! I am a very positive person and I try to take the moment to say โOK, what can we take from this? Whatโs the lesson here and whatโs the opportunity for us?โ
โFor 17 years, I havenโt had the opportunity to wake up with my kids and spend a lot of time, dedicate my time and listen to them. You know, do their homework with them and the same with my missus.
โSo this is a great opportunity. There are no excuses. We are in the household together and we are really enjoying those moments as well.
โI think we are all realising how much we need each other. We are in a world here where everything is social media, everything is a WhatsApp text.
โBut how important is touching each other, feeling each other and hugging each other? I miss that a lot with a lot of people that I love.
โI cannot do it now and I am sure that will transform a little bit of how people behave with their close ones.โ
REUTERS
