ARSENAL and their stars are enjoying a winter break off from Premier League action in the always warm Middle East.

They have been taking advantage of the facilities at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, which has become the go-to venue for clubs and athletes when there's some downtime during the hectic league campaign, including Manchester United and Celtic.

Back in 2020, United stars Jesse Lingard, Diogo Dalot and Luke Shaw were all seen working hard at the sprawling space this week.

While, Dele Alli went there solo as he stepped up his recovery from a hamstring injury in 2019.

Cristiano Ronaldo was also a visitor in 2018, Patrice Evra is a regular and Alex-Oxlade-Chamberlain, Virgil van Dijk, Novak Djokovic and Olympic gold medallist Greg Rutherford have all used the facility for injury recovery.

Currently, it's Arsenal's troupe that are being put through their paces by boss Mikel Arteta.

We've seen Kieran Tierney working on his spring and balance and a relaxed Nicolas Pepe enjoying a break in play after the AFCON, where he starred for the Ivory Coast.

But what's the reason to go?

Facilities on offer

Health club and spa – Luxury facilities include everything an athlete could need to recover from injury or a training session. It has the stuff you would expect, such as a fully-equipped gymnasium, swimming pool, plunge pool, steam room, sauna and large dressing room for 25 athletes.

It also has hi-tech extras such as an altitude chamber, cryo chamber, climate chamber and a performance lab to give coaches data.

There are also full medical facilities with on-site physios and masseuses.

Two Fifa-standard football pitches – The facility has two full-size pitches with immaculate turf up to Fifa standards. One of them has an IAAF-standard athletics track circling it, while another is surrounded by trees to offer more privacy.

Sports Complex – The sports complex houses courts for a number of indoor sports, including squash, padel, beach football and volleyball as well as badminton and fencing. There's even a mosque and a Starbucks, as well as a large car park just north east of the site.

Pearl Dive Centre – Not part of the sports complex but on the same site, the shell-shaped Dive Centre houses the world's deepest recreational pool. Pearl diving is one of the favourite past-times in the UAE.

Indoor stadium – The world-class 5,840-seat venue hosts local and international matches in futsal, volleyball, basketball, badminton, boxing, fencing, gymnastics and martial arts.

More brilliant football features

United enjoyed a 2018 pre-season tour at the Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex, while Real Madrid and a host of other clubs around Europe have also held pre-season training camps at the venue.

Teams and athletes are flocking to the desert not just because of the guaranteed sunshine, but because of the world-class facilities.

The Nad Al Sheba Sports Complex includes two Fifa-standard pitches, one with an IAAF-standard athletics track around the outside of it, and every hi-tech apparatus one could need for injury recovery.

The sprawling site boasts a luxury health club and spa with a fully-equipped gym.

The health club contains an altitude chamber, climate chamber, swimming pool, cryo chamber, a performance lab for real-time data and full medical facilities, including on-site masseuses and physiotherapists.

There are indoor courts for squash, padel, beach football and volleyball, as well as badminton, volleyball, futsal and fencing.

At the north end of the site is a world-class indoor stadium which hosts futsal and volleyball tournaments.

Another huge bonus is the location of the complex – just a short trip outside of downtown Dubai.

When Manchester United take advantage of Dubai during the winter break, they enjoy staying at the five-star One&Only Royal Mirage, where the cheapest rooms are £289-a-night, with the complex just a 20-minute drive away.

The site also contains a mosque and even a Starbucks coffee shop.

Robert Wadsworth, the complex's sports director told MUTV why he believed elite clubs and athletes picked Dubai.

"Warm weather training is beneficial for all athletes – particularly ones from Manchester where you don't quite get the weather of Dubai," he joked.

latest sport features

"Coming into warm weather training, [players] can train outside for a longer period of time, [they have] the advantage of getting Vitamin D.

"From a sports science perspective the ability to train in those hot conditions benefits athletes and teams."
Wadsworth also says that teams coming away on a trip together helps create and strengthen team spirit and the bond between players.

Wadsworth added: "On top of the sports science aspect, the benefit of getting away as a team and to be together at a critical point in the season.

"Hopefully they can come together, enjoy the experience at NAS and get the most out of it in terms of training and go on to have a fantastic second half of the season."

Celtic manager Rodgers also spoke highly of the his training camp at the facility.

"It's been great… it's nice for them socially to be together," said the former Liverpool boss.

"This gives us a chance to recharge and get some good coaching work into the players but also to really connect again – and in great weather.

"We're able to work on some aspects out here that doesn't happen so much in the domestic season."

He'd said ahead of the trip: "It’s a hard gig. Players aren’t robots.

MOST READ IN FOOTBALL

"They are human beings and it doesn’t matter how much money the player is paid.

"For the best quality of the game you want them to be as fresh as they can be.

"We can come back mid-January feeling re-energised for the second part of the season. It will do us the world of good."

And Rodgers was right – after losing three of their previous six matches, Celtic won seven out of seven after returning from the desert. Expect many others to be doing likewise as well.

Source: Read Full Article