Following a difficult start to the season, Arsenal have won their last nine games in all competitions under new head coach Unai Emery. Last weekend’s 5-1 win over Fulham was a momentous victory, and Guillem Balague has identified the key areas in which Emery has improved Arsenal.
Having established a pattern of winning matches without playing at their best in previous weeks, often grinding out results as opposed to blowing opposition away, Emery’s methods finally seemed to click into place during the thumping win at Craven Cottage.
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Speaking on his official YouTube channel, Spanish football expert Guillem Balague assessed the work of the 46-year-old at the Emirates so far, identifying Emery’s attention to the opposition as key. Balague said: “The main thing here is that basically Wenger didn’t care so much about the rival.
“And Unai Emery for the last two days before the game concentrates on what to do to affect the rival.
“That is sometimes about the way they attack, it’s sometimes about the way they defend but it’s information that the players come out on the pitch which they didn’t have before.
“I remember there was a game against Barcelona a few years back, this was four or five years back.
“That is the main difference with Unai Emery who also has established a more tight and disciplined regime in terms of food and the relationship of players with the coach that has more dialogue and collective dialogue.
“He tends to talk individually and collectively to players, he’s done so with [Mesut] Ozil, with [Aaron] Ramsey.”
Arsenal’s rise in recent weeks has flown somewhat under the radar and in the shadows of the table-topping trio of Manchester City, Chelsea and Liverpool, each of whom are level on points as the Premier League’s top three.
The Gunners, though, are now just two points off their rivals in fourth place heading into the international break, and a continuation of their recent winning streak upon the return of Premier League action could see Emery’s side become genuine title contenders in the coming months.