Bruno Guimaraes Details Heavy Brazil Workload Ahead of Arsenal Return

Bruno Guimaraes has detailed the demands of Brazil's latest international break after revealing the squad spent more than 50 hours travelling across a 10-day period.

The Arsenal midfielder was speaking after Brazil completed the break with a 4-0 victory over India, coming on at the start of the second half as Carlo Ancelotti made changes to his side.

The scoreline was comfortable, but the conditions were less so. Guimaraes pointed to the heat as one of the difficulties Brazil faced and admitted the amount of travelling had also taken its toll on the squad.

“I think we travelled more than 50 hours. And a lot happened in these last 10 days,” Guimaraes said speaking after the match.

Gabriel Magalhaes has been part of the same Brazil camp and will return to Arsenal with Guimaraes before the Premier League resumes. Both have spent the international break away with Ancelotti's squad rather than working at London Colney in the build-up to the return of club football.

Guimaraes still felt Brazil could have produced more against India. The quality of the opposition was lower, by his own assessment, and he believed the team could have played with greater intensity despite the conditions.

“Obviously, we could have pushed harder, but the heat affected us a fair bit, and it became difficult. But yeah, we can do better, but overall, there are quite a few positives in the side and I believe things will get better from here on,” the Arsenal midfielder emphasised.

That did not stop him from viewing the overall period positively. Brazil finished with a convincing result and Guimaraes left the camp believing there had been progress as well as areas still to improve.

The Gunners return to Premier League action against Leeds United on Saturday, leaving Mikel Arteta with only a short period to work with a number of players returning to the squad from international duty.

Guimaraes and Gabriel will be among those coming back from Brazil duty. Guimaraes made an appearance in each of Brazil’s three friendlies, whilst Gabriel played in Brazil’s wins against Australia and India, watching from the bench during Brazil’s first match against Australia, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

The travel described by Guimaraes gives an indication of what that turnaround has involved. More than 50 hours on the move across 10 days came alongside the matches, training sessions and difficult conditions he encountered in Australia and India, meaning the Arsenal pair are not just dealing with the physical demands from the friendlies.

He did not use those circumstances to excuse Brazil's performance. Guimaraes acknowledged that the side could have pushed harder and done better, while also making clear that the heat had made the game more difficult.

His assessment of the international period was similarly measured. The workload had been demanding, but he still saw positives in what Brazil had done and expected improvement to follow.

Guimaraes and Gabriel now return to North London with another international window behind them and a league game only days away. The Brazilian pair are set for a heavy month on their return, with Arsenal playing nine fixtures across 29 days until the next international break in November.