Arsenal Warms up For Gruelling Premier League Season
With the English football season approaching fast, the top teams in the reckoning are finalizing their plans ahead of the rigours of the season.
Arsenal limbered up at their home ground amongst adoring fans who camped in their numbers to see some of their stars prepare for the challenges ahead.
The training session was staged at Arsenal's Emirates stadium, and the centre of attention for the fans was the current team captain Cesc Fabregas who has been in the news for a possible transfer, and there remains no uncertainty about the alliance with the North London club.
Fabregas, who was part of the Spanish squad that won the 2010 World Cup, made his first appearance with his teammates this season.
The playmaker was resting after his country’s memorable triumph in the first ever World Cup to be staged in Africa. He was part of the team that overcame three-time finalists Netherlands with a solitary goal win in the final at the Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg.
To keep the fans in the game, the squad made an appearance one by one in front of the fans, and the Spaniard was the recipient of the biggest cheers.
The adoring fans of the Gunners were also introduced for the first time to their new recruit striker Marouane Chamakh.
Chamakh has been brought in Arsenal’s set-up from French club Bordeaux in the summer.
Some of the players were presented yet did not take part in the training session and those included Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner.
The coach of the famed London club Arsene Wenger confirmed that Bendtner is yet to recover from a groin injury that has plagued him for some time. He added that Bendtner would not be fit for the start of the season.
Dutch striker Robin van Persie, along with his Spanish captain, also stayed on the sidelines.
The duo was instead busy in building strength for the season as they ran up and down the touchline.
Arsenal has not yet made a decision on the pair, and the players have not been declared match fit after their long and exhausting World Cup campaigns.
Wenger is confident that his team will deliver the goods in the upcoming season, adding that the results achieved in the summer bode well for his team.
"Well we feel confident because we've had a good preparation, and overall I believe that what you want to raise pre-season is the confidence level and the fitness level, and we did that quite well," Wenger said.
Wenger brushed aside queries regarding the future of Fabregas, maintaining a no nonsense approach against the volley of questions regarding the future of his captain.
"He is our captain, he is our leader, and you want your captain to contribute to the success of the team," he said.
Wenger has ensured that he does not let his prized possession slip away to Barcelona.
Fabregas has been approached by the Spanish giants, yet Wenger wants to ensure that he remains at Arsenal and help his team become serious contenders for the Premier League title.
The Spanish club has reportedly made a 29 million pounds bid for Fabregas last month, but Wenger has remained defiant, maintaining that the Spaniard is the key to his plans for the season.
Fabregas has made Arsenal his home since joining the club as a 16 year old prodigy in 2003.
Since then, the star playmaker has played a whopping 267 matches for his club, scoring 46 goals for them, with 81 assists.
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