The (short) trip of the Arsenal players to Lens was not easy. Blame it on the weather conditions in the English capital.
While many cities broke heat records in France, particularly in the southwest, the weather was less clement on the other side of the Channel. The Gunners have had the bitter experience of this. The trip to Lens, barely more than 200 kilometers from London, was to be a simple formality. But the weather conditions made the trip a hassle.
While the English vice-champions’ plane was due to take off at 5:15 p.m., Mikel Arteta’s players ultimately had to wait until 10 p.m. to leave Lutton airport. A delay which forced UEFA to cancel the press conference of Mikel Arteta and William Saliba, initially scheduled for 7 p.m. then postponed twice in the hope that the plane could take off in time. In the end, the Gunners coach was left to improvise a press briefing on the plane.
The former midfielder took the opportunity to say all the good things he thought of the Lens team. “I was really impressed with what they did last season. It’s incredible to finish in this position, and the way they did it, the form they had at home, said the Spanish technician. This season, they have not had luck with certain results (Lens is currently 15th in Ligue 1, editor’s note). I don’t know why they didn’t take more points, so we’re expecting a huge battle. We are more than aware of this. They are a very good team and we have a huge test ahead of us.”
