Arsenal build towards season in Southern California

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.— Arsenal has played high-level soccer the past two seasons, accumulating 84 and 89 points. But both times, they fell short of Manchester City in the Premier League. 

As the team ramps toward the 2024-25 season, manager Mikel Arteta knows his group needs to do more to win the league.

“This league requires different standards to relate that world to winning the Premier League," Arteta said. "We need to upgrade everything we're doing. We need to improve in every area. That's what we're trying to do.”

Their preparation continues in Southern California. Arsenal is playing two matches in Los Angeles. The first is on Wednesday against Bournemouth, and the other is versus Manchester United on Saturday. 

The first game will be at Dignity Health Sports Park, and the second will be at SoFi Stadium. The team is training at California Lutheran University, nearby Angel City.  

Afterward, Arsenal will head to Philadelphia for a match against Liverpool before returning to the United Kingdom.

“We’re gonna play in three different surfaces, three different stadiums, different weather conditions,” Arteta said. “Travelling is different, different opposition, so great preparation for us.”

Arsenal’s United States tour squad features a mix of first-team and youth talent. Many players who played in the Euro 2024, such as Declan Rice, Aaron Ramsdale, Bukayo Saka, David Raya, and William Saliba, will not join the team in America. 

However, Leandro Trossard, Jorginho, Jakub Kiwior, and Oleksandr Zinchenko, other players who played in the Euros, are with the team. Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli, and Kai Havertz, who also played in summer tournaments, will meet the group on Thursday and report on Friday.

While the entire group is not present, the preparations are crucial as the team looks to build fitness.

“We need to keep up to the standards that we require at every level,” Arteta said. “Physically, there are huge improvements to make, and team cohesion is the same. Also, evolving in our culture and earning the right to win games and play better each time. 

The opposition is going to be tough. The goal is to win the games."

Training sessions have been “positive.” According to Arteta, the team still trained with intensity despite 90-degree weather in Thousand Oaks and jet lag.

“We're certainly heading in the right direction, and we are traveling at a really high speed with the things that we have transformed not only on the football side but also as a club,” Arteta said. “Now, what is missing is to bring the big titles back home.”

Arsenal needs to keep heading in that direction to dethrone Man City. Their next steps are in Southern California.