Football
ESPN staff 10y

Wenger to rest German Arsenal players

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said three German players -- Mesut Ozil, Per Mertesacker and Lukas Podolski -- might not feature in the matches to start the Premier League season so they can recover from their World Cup-winning campaign.

Germany beat Argentina 1-0 in the final to win their fourth title since the tournament began, and Ozil, Mertesacker and Podolski all played a role in the seven-game run to bring the trophy home.

"I have a decision to make, do I bring them early and play them straight away and lose them in October or November or do I give them the needed rest to recover and get the hunger back?" said Wenger.

"So I have chosen the second solution knowing that it is a bit risky because on top of that we have the qualifier for the Champions League group stage and they might not be ready for that."

None of the three players will even return to training until Aug. 11, which is just five days before Crystal Palace visits for the teams' Premier League campaign kickoff. That return date will force them out of the Community Shield match against Manchester City on Aug. 10, though Wenger hasn't ruled out Mertesacker for the Champions League two-legged qualifier following the Palace date.

Wenger admits the move is risky as valuable early-season points could be forfeited with three of his best players not in the mix. But he also understands that players need to rest and recover to make their best efforts over the entire season, especially after exerting so much energy and focus on the World Cup.

"The distance between the final of the World Cup and the start of the Premier League is too short," said Wenger. "And that is why it is very difficult to predict how everyone will cope with that because the preparation time is too short and the rest time is too short."

"A guy who is coming off a high of winning the World Cup, you can not ask him three weeks later to fight for his life when you are going to Swansea or to Stoke, it takes some time to recover."

Arsenal won the FA Cup last season and qualified for this year's Champions League. With the addition of Alexis Sanchez for the upcoming Premier League season, the team are eyeing more silverware and a possible run at the Premier League title.

^ Back to Top ^