ARSENAL’S preparations for Saturday’s clash at Leeds have suffered a major blow due to the weather.
Mikel Arteta’s men are looking to end a three-game winless run in the Premier League.
Last weekend’s 3-2 home defeat to Manchester United saw Arsenal’s title hopes wobble as Manchester City closed the gap at the top of the table to just four points.
And the Gunners’ latest preparations were thrown into turmoil after being forced into a huge travel change.
Arsenal had initially planned to journey north via plane.
But with thick fog forecast for Yorkshire, the league leaders were forced to change their itinerary at the final moment.
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Following Friday’s training session, Arsenal abandoned their original decision to fly to Leeds in the afternoon.
Direct flights from London to Leeds-Bradford take roughly an hour.
But rather than risk being stuck on the tarmac or having to divert in the sky, the Gunners instead opted to take a longer but safer route via coaches.
The 180-mile drive takes well over three hours, and that’s without having to battle the M1’s infamous traffic jams.
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It was far from ideal preparation, with Arsenal players forced to endure the grind of the British highway system and a 70mph speed limit rather than the jet-set speed of the skies.
But Arteta has a virtually-full squad to pick from, with just teenager Max Dowman missing through injury after agreeing a deal for when he turns pro on his 17th birthday in December.
Kai Havertz and Riccardo Calafiori are available again after playing in the midweek Champions League win against Kairat.
And Arteta is focused on making sure his star-studded squad regain the “right path” in their bid for title glory.
He said: “Certainly when you lose a game, you have a lot of feelings because especially the group of players are so competitive and they seek for excellence, and when you don’t reach it you ask yourself questions, and we did that.
“But I think my role is to bring optimism and the reality of where we are. Our club has a long history and to find a moment when in February, we’re in the position we are, is very difficult to find.
“We are doing so many things well and let’s focus on that. For sure we want to improve, we want to be better in every area, but with that sense of self-confidence and conviction that we are on the right path.”
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