Champions League now Arsenal's best trophy bet as Mikel Arteta eyes end to injury headache | OneFootball

Tactics of European football and returning stars could lead Arsenal to deep run in Champions League

As the Arsenal players began their warm-up on Tuesday afternoon, music blared across the training pitch.

Hits such as ‘Mas Que Nada’ by Sergio Mendes, which was famously used in a Nike advert that had Brazilian legends dribbling through an airport, were blasted out at full volume by speakers on the side of the pitch.

Mikel Arteta’s press conferences this month have been dominated by questions about when Arsenal will sign a new striker and, for once, that was not the talking point.

The Spaniard, however, revealed he regularly uses music as part of training and Tuesday was not a one-off.

“I think music has the capacity to change your mood, to change your energy to a certain place,” said Arteta. “You play a song and immediately you feel different.

“And we have certain songs that trigger something in our team, because they have some history as well with us, and I will use it when we believe it’s the right way to do it.”

Mikel Arteta has regularly used music during Arsenal training

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It was the Champions League anthem that Arsenal were playing in training last season, such was the players’ excitement about being back in the competition for the first time in six years.

Only 11 of Arsenal’s squad last year had played in the Champions League before and enthusiasm gripped the club’s training ground, with players playing the competition’s anthem during gym sessions.

Arsenal are no longer Champions League rookies, though, and this competition is quickly becoming their most best shot at a trophy this season.

They are out of the FA Cup, 2-0 down going into the second leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final at Newcastle and six points off Premier League leaders Liverpool - who have a game in hand, too.

It is a different story in the Champions League, where Arsenal are in a strong position. They are currently fifth in the new 36-man league and a win on Wednesday would near enough guarantee them a spot in the top eight.

That would be a huge boost for the Gunners as it would mean they go straight through to the last 16 and miss next month’s play-off round.

Given Arsenal’s fitness issues, Arteta would welcome two less games and the club would also use the gap in the calendar to go to Dubai for some warm-weather training.

Arsenal reached the quarter-finals of the Champions League last season and there is no reason they cannot go further this time.

Injuries have hit them hard all season and continue to do so, with Arteta having a headache as to what he does in defence against Dinamo.

Arsenal hope to have Bukayo Saka back for the Champions League last-16

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Ben White, Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba are all out, meaning Jurrien Timber is Arteta’s only fit right-sided centre-back. The issue is, Timber is also Arteta’s only fit right-back.

Arteta moved Timber to centre-back for Saturday’s draw with Aston Villa, while Thomas Partey covered at right-back. Villa’s second goal and equaliser came after Partey lost Ollie Watkins, and Arteta has revealed Declan Rice could play centre-back against Dinamo, which would allow Timber to stay at right-back.

Injuries are impacting Arsenal now but, by the time the last 16 of the Champions League comes around, they should have eased.

There is hope Saliba, Tomiyasu and White will be back in a matter of weeks. Saka, who is going on holiday later this week after Arteta advised him to, is due back from his hamstring injury in March - which is when the last 16 begins.

A fully-fit squad would allow Arsenal to have a serious tilt at the Champions League and European football seems to suit Arteta’s team.

Unlike in the Premier League, opponents are far more reluctant to sit deep against them. Sporting Lisbon showed that in November, with the Portuguese champions happy to take the game to Arsenal. The Gunners ran out 5-1 winners.

Arteta will be hoping for plenty more goals against Dinamo and, perhaps, his player will be inspired by the samba music that accompanied their training session on Tuesday.

The questions about Arsenal’s need for a new striker stopped for a day, but they will return if the side’s attack does not fire against a team they should comfortably beat.