Unai Emery has admitted that he had to change things at Arsenal after Arsene Wenger’s 22-year stay came to an end.
When the Spaniard took over the reigns in the summer, it became apparent that things were going to be different under the new man, and perhaps that should have come as little surprise – it certainly wasn’t a surprise to Unai Emery.
Speaking to MARCA, Emery revealed:
I respect him [Wenger] a lot, but no matter how much information he gave me, I had to change things. I told the players ‘we are starting at ground zero’. Even now, four months later, I still say ‘we are just at the beginning!’
Specifically, the former PSG boss claimed that they had made changes to dietary measures as well:
There were habits that we could improve on in terms of nutrition. Together with the nutritionist and the fitness coach, we decided to get rid of juice with sugar, but that’s normal and what I do at home: eat without sugar, less fat, healthier food. That’s it.
When asked if he was a meticulous coach, Emery opined on the task of having to find a delicate balance between an attention to detail, and an obsession with the small things:
Once a Chinese coach came to see us at Sevilla and he repeatedly said to me: ‘Unai, your work on the details has impressed me’. And it stuck with me. I said to myself: ‘Well that’s a positive!’ But it can also be negative, you might say, a bit tiresome, wanting to influence the players too much, so I don’t know. What I do is work hard. I look at the 90 minutes and analyse openings, where the space is etc. Then I transfer that to video and show the players.
The new-look Arsenal have enjoyed a strong start to the season, after dropping their first two games to Manchester City and Chelsea.
