Charles Watts has just noticed something interesting about Arsenal training over the international break

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The Arsenal players who have not been called up by their countries continue to train with Mikel Arteta and his coaching staff during the international break.

The Gunners are set to face arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur away from home in their next Premier League game and will be eager to return to winning ways after their 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.

Raheem Sterling is one of the notable names that has been spotted in training with the England international eager to get up to speed following his deadline day loan move from Chelsea.

According to reports, Sterling has already impressed the Arsenal coaches in his early days at the club as he looks to get his career back on track after two lukewarm seasons at Stamford Bridge.

As a diminished Arsenal squad continues to train under Arteta, Charles Watts has spotted something unusual from the Gunners’ camp.

Charles Watts spots smaller footballs during Arsenal training

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Watts pinpointed the fact that Arsenal were training with what was believed to be a size-two football, with Sterling, Gabriel Martinelli and Jorginho spotted in the frame in question.

He said: “Look at the size of that football they are playing with – that is proper school ground size two or three football they are playing with in that picture”

This is not the first time Arteta’s unique training methods or man-management skills have come to the fore.

During the summer, The Athletic reported that he hired a group of pickpockets, with several Arsenal players missing valuable items when they were asked to check their belongings after the exercise.

Another example can be seen in the Amazon documentary series titled All or Nothing Arsenal when Arteta asked all his players to hold hands ahead of their clash against Tottenham Hotspur to create an ‘energy.’

While the exercise left their players bemused, it could be argued that it worked in their favour as they secured a 3-1 win against their bitter rivals later that day in October 2022.

In the same documentary, it was also revealed that he made his players train with Liverpool’s anthem – You’ll Never Walk Alone – playing in the background as a dress rehearsal for their clash at Anfield.

This time around, it didn’t work as the Gunners were beaten 4-0 by Liverpool in November 2021.

What next for Arsenal after the international break?

Arsenal are set to take on Tottenham away from home in their first game after the international break, while they also have a game against Manchester City on the horizon.

The new season might be just three weeks old, but their upcoming run could be a serious test of their title credentials, more so after their 1-1 draw against Brighton.

With Declan Rice suspended for the trip to Spurs, Jorginho remains the obvious choice to partner Martin Odegaard and Thomas Partey in the centre of the park.

However, Charles Watts feels Kai Havertz could drop into midfield, with Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka occupying the attacking roles.

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