MIKEL Arteta sidestepped any early excuses ahead of Arsenal’s crunch Premier League clash against Chelsea on Sunday at Stamford Bridge.

With games coming thick and fast, every extra second to rest and prepare for each match day is crucial. By the time the Gunners take to the Emirates pitch to tackle Zurich in a must-win Europa League tie tonight (Thursday), Chelsea will be well on the road to recovery having played in the Champions League 24 hours earlier.

That’s why some Arsenal fans were annoyed to find out that this weekend’s trip to west London had been pencilled in for a noon kick-off.

Arteta, however, is taking it all in his stride.

“Playing in the Europa League we know that this can be an issue, and that’s it,” shrugged the Spaniard.

“It is a very early kick-off, which is a little bit unusual when you play on Thursday nights, but it is what we have.”

Quizzed on the task of balancing his team selection, the Arsenal boss added: “We have been trying to load the players pretty equally over the last five or six weeks because we have been playing every three days.

“You have seen that we haven’t repeated too many blocks of four games for certain individuals and we will try to continue to do that to get everyone as fresh as possible and with enough rhythm heading into the game. It is a challenge.”

There’s also the small matter of the World Cup to contend with. The tournament is set to get underway in Qatar in just over two weeks’ time and there is a risk that some players might become distracted, or even be a little sheepish out on the pitch through fear of getting injured.

Arteta insists he hasn’t noticed any issues with his squad. He said: “Every day I feel the responsibility to protect them, to guide them and to get the best out of them, but they are playing for Arsenal at the moment and that’s what they have to focus on.

“Then when they’re playing for England or their national teams, they need to focus on their national team. This is what we have to do.”

Meanwhile, having guided Arsenal to the top of the Premier League there is little surprise that rumours are swirling around Arteta’s future – most notably one claiming the 40-year-old is top of Barcelona’s wishlist to replace under-fire boss Xavi.

Arteta, though, made it clear where his focus lies.

“What I can say is that I’m extremely happy and proud to be where I am,” he said. “Barcelona now are on a really good path. I think they have a phenomenal coach who is an absolute legend at the club and has lived the whole place. You have to be very respectful of that.”