Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta hopes to have Jurrien Timber back in his starting lineup very soon. Photo: Getty Images/Stuart McFarlane
Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, Westlake Village is a great place to plan for the coming season. Beautiful scenery, light breeze and perfect California sun. Malibu Beach is very close, and Los Angeles is a little further along the coast.
It was here, in an immaculate hotel under an immaculate blue sky, that Arsenal's preparations for this campaign really accelerated. While in California for the second leg of their pre-season tour, Arsenal made the most of the luxury location. Families of players and coaches were invited, and the club held huge barbecues where the entire staff could mingle.
Kroenke's owners, Stan and his son Josh, were also there, as well as Arsenal management. It was a time to strengthen relationships, improve fitness and, as in the case of Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff, prepare the team for the big task that lay ahead: competing for both the Premier League and the Champions League.
< img src="/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/227d6de1e2c4c9e03a2d9c2de450ace5.jpg" /> From left, Declan Rice, Jurrien Timber and Josh Kroenke looked relaxed during Arsenal's pre-season training. Photo: Getty Images/Stuart McFarlane
More than eight months later, Arsenal are where they hoped to be. The league's top players will advance to this weekend's Champions League quarter-finals. Last summer they enjoyed spectacular sunsets, which is exactly what they expected.
Except that in many ways the campaign did not unfold as Arsenal had planned. At least not on the field. Arteta and sporting director Edu had different visions of what the team would look like this season and that vision simply wasn't realised.
Cause? Jurrien Timber suffered a serious injury just 50 minutes into the first Premier League match. Arsenal shelled out around £39 million to sign the Dutch defender, but he was only available for a small part of the season. Without him, Arteta has had to rethink the master plan he laid out before the start of this campaign.
“We recruited Timber with clear intentions”
At this point, some readers may laugh. Was Timber really that big of a deal? Will his move from Ajax really be that transformative for the Arsenal team? At least according to Arteta, the answer is a resounding yes.
“We brought him in with clear intentions,” Arteta said in August, shortly after Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. “[Now] we have to adapt.” In January, he expanded slightly, saying Timber was signed because he had «abilities that we didn't have.»
And earlier this month the Arsenal boss added: «Jurrien has qualities that nobody else in the back line has and he really delivers, especially in the attacking phase, what we do in two or three positions.»
< p>Why is this important now? Because Timber is almost back. The 22-year-old has been in full training for several weeks and is close to returning to the first team. In a season where there are few surprises for opposing teams, Arsenal may soon be able to use him as their hidden weapon.
Of course, caution must be exercised. Anterior cruciate ligament injuries are difficult, and Timber will still need time to recover. Arsenal's squad is complete and all matches are extremely important at this stage of the campaign. Arteta can't simply force Timber back into the starting line-up.
But the excitement among fans is certainly understandable, and there is anticipation that Timber's return could prove a significant boost in these crucial weeks of the campaign.
Timber suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury during his team's Premier League match with Nottingham Forest in August. Photo: Getty Images/Clive Mason
It helped Timber that his ACL injury was unusual, although he didn't. suffered serious damage to other parts of his knee. And, oddly enough, he stated that his long absence helped him settle in London faster than he might have otherwise.
Arsenal kept Timber close to the team throughout his rehabilitation. He was present at Emirates Stadium for most home matches, standing with the players in the tunnel and dressing room. He was also involved in team meetings before and after matches, giving him the opportunity to study the tactical plan and learn from Arteta.
In February, Timber said he felt «at home» in London. He has also had the opportunity to expand his sporting horizons and recently attended a Saracens rugby game.
Wearing an Arsenal shirt, Timber showed at the Community Shield that he is aggressive, strong and versatile. In this match, he excelled at Arsenal's left-back, despite spending almost his entire Ajax career as a central or right-back.
Timber may be a defender, but it is his ability on the ball that makes him such an interesting signing for Arsenal. He made more progressive shots and forward passes than any other defender in the Dutch Eredivisie last season. He also had the best passing accuracy of any defender and the most successful passes in the opposition half.
In other words, Timber is as much a technician on the ball as he is a formidable defender off the ball. . Arsenal had hoped to use this technical opportunity to change the team's shape and feel, but had to shelve those plans for almost the entire campaign. Now that the season is at a crucial juncture, perhaps it's time to dust them off.
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