Mikel Arteta is on the progress he has made in his first months as Arsenal manager after instilling a sense of “unity” in the team, which he missed greatly when he took the reins of Unai Emery.
The 38-year-old repositioned Emery with Arsenal languishing in eighth place in the Premier League table and, failing to improve the club’s position at the end of the season, there have been symptoms of primary improvement in north London.
The Gunners controlled to finish the season with a note after beating their tight rivals Chelsea at Wembley to hold the FA Cup in their hands for the 14th record and the players and enthusiasts seem to have taken their new head coach.
Arsenal’s first team will begin preparations for the 2020/21 crusade when they return to education this weekend and Arteta sat down to check the last quarter at the club’s official on Wednesday afternoon.
The Asturian admits that the lack of unity and the negative power of Arsenal players were already a real fear when he took office last December.
Looking back on the day of her return, Arteta explained, “You may be giving me an idea of what’s going on from everything I read and the other people I had inside the club who can just provide me with information.
“But I think until the day you walk through that door and start feeling the power and what’s happening, it’s hard to wait for what role you want to play in terms of the effect you want to have.
‘I was worried. I saw a lot of things that worried me about the unity and power that prevailed in the place. But in the days that followed, I felt absolutely like everything was changing.
I have to thank everyone very much for the way they helped me when I joined and also the players because they joined, replaced their attitude immediately and started to be together, to exercise very well and pay attention to what we seek to do.
Arteta expressed gratitude to Arsenal enthusiasts for the way they supported the team that helped reshape what had a poisonous atmosphere in the Emirates.
“I was with the City a few days before my date and saw the stadium and what was going on there and I was very worried,” he added.
“Immediately, enthusiasts received the team’s right and we started creating another environment in the Emirates.
“It was a great help to me, the players and the club.”
Arteta says the effects temporarily continued after the club’s culture began to replace for the better.
“It has to be an environment where everyone has to respect others, where we have to paint in combination and we have to explain the hobby and the possibility we have of being where we are,” he continued.
“There are so many things that are connected to the goals we have.
“When I talk about culture and process it’s because without that, I don’t think we’re going to take it to the next level, because there’s going to be pitfalls along the way. And without that unity, we can’t lead this great shipment that we have to manage with Arsenal and the expectations that are similar to the club.
“When we started doing this, I started replacing some things that were applicable to me. The players and staff supported them and without delay we started to see results.
“We want to maximize our strengths and at that moment I didn’t think we were doing it.
“We have massive, limitless prospects, it’s up to us and it’s a simple thing to change.”
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