Arsenal fans are used to many years of Arsene Wenger sitting beside Steve Bould o the touchline, and every now and again complaining to the ref or playing with his zip, so it is a revelation to see our new man running up and down the touchline barking instructions at his players.
This is just one part of his intensity to do everything in his power to get Arsenal to win games. But it seems that he is just as intense in training with his squad, as Alex Iwobi described. “It’s basically a family and we’re all fighting for each other, not just for the manager and the players, but also for the fans,” Iwobi said. “It’s one big family and we’re always going to fight for each other. We’re putting in an extra shift, not just in matches, but in training as well.
“Unai’s very intense in training and he’s demanding because he knows how good we are. He always wants us to be at 100 per cent, giving our best. It’s not just him, though. We know what we expect from each other, so we’re also trying to get the best out of each other in training.
“He’s always encouraging me to be positive with the ball, always encouraging me to work hard off the ball for my team as well. It’s not just for me, he’s helped out my other team-mates as well and has helped every player individually.
“He’s always talking to them and if it’s not him then it’s his assistants, the other coaches talking to me, showing me different clips, analysing my game, analysing opponents as well. His staff are always helping me. He’s given me that confidence in games and in training to go out and express myself.”
It seems that he wants every player to put their lives on the line in every single game and training session, and one can’t help making the comparison again with Wenger, who was always worried about overplaying his stars and resting them for easier games. There is definitely no mollycoddling with Emery in charge!
Sam P