- Michael Appleton assesses Arsenal’s key threats ahead of Friday’s Premier League clash
- The Club’s assistant manager says the Foxes must be prepared to adapt to different styles of play this term
- Appleton has been pleased with Leicester City’s preparations for the fixture at Emirates Stadium
City take on the Gunners on Friday evening in what will be Appleton’s first competitive game as Craig Shakespeare’s assistant manager since joining the Club in the summer.
Appleton believes maintaining focus against Arsene Wenger’s men will be pivotal for the 2015/16 Premier League champions, who head to the capital on the back of last weekend’s victory over Borussia Mönchengladbach.
“It’s a huge challenge,” Appleton told LCFC TV. “You look at some of the signings they’ve made over the summer and it shows their intent going into this season.
“The Emirates itself is always a difficult place to go in play because of the possession-based football that Arsenal are capable of. We’re under no illusions for long periods of the game that our concentration levels and how we defend has got to be very, very good.
“In terms of their style of play and how they set up, they’ve been pretty consistent with the formation they’ve stuck with in pre-season, so I think we’re more than prepared for the way we think they’re going to play.
“I’m sure I’ll keep using the word concentration because that’s going to be massively important for us. They’ve almost go a free flow about them when they’re in possession of the ball and players do interchange.
“We’ve seen over the pre–season games that even though they’re not the cut and thrust of the Premier League, the players will be more than prepared going into the game and know what they’re about.”
Renowned for their sweeping passing moves and ability to maintain possession, Appleton knows the Foxes must learn how to deal with Arsenal's specific style of play.
He continued: “It’s important that the players have learnt to adapt, which is going to be important over the season. We’re going to come up against different types of teams who play a different style of play and have different strengths and weaknesses within their team.
“We have to be able to adapt at times and we have to be able to be the team that has more possession on the day, but also we have to be prepared to face the likes of Arsenal.
“We know for long periods that they’re going to have the ball so we need to know how we’re going to deal with that mentally, physically and tactically.
“The games over pre-season have all been different against good sides and sides that have different formations, so hopefully it will come together over the next six to nine months.”
A full week of training has provided City with the opportunity to fine tune their approach to a clash that both sides will want to impress in, says Appleton.
“In terms of preparation going into the game, when you have a full week it’s obviously much better than if you’re involved in Europe or a cup game,” City’s assistant manager continued. “The fact that we’ve got that gives us that extra time to prepare.
“It does change from week to week because you’re coming up against different sides and different formations.
“Going to the Emirates on the first day, I don’t think anyone really knows what to expect from both sides – it’s a new season and it’s a new opportunity for sides to make a mark.
“From Arsenal’s point of view, they’ll want to start the season on a high and we want to go there and make sure we’re more than competitive.”
Appleton reiterated Wes Morgan’s view ahead of the encounter, citing the fixture as a chance to boost confidence before a string of difficult games.
He added: “We’ve been ultra-positive since coming in on day one and be on the front foot with the players.
“As difficult as the start looks on paper, with the likes of Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool in those first six games, if we can be strong as a group and pick up some serious points, it’ll give us a massive sense of confidence going forward knowing that we can compete with the big teams in the league.”