Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny has praised manager Unai Emery for his approach against sides in the top-six of the Premier League table while aiming a slight dig at former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.
Arsene Wenger left Arsenal after a 22-year reign last summer. However, the French tactician struggled against the top sides and was later replaced by Unai Emery.
The Spaniard rejuvenated the Gunners side that missed the Champions League qualification in the previous two seasons. Though, that is not the case this season as the North-London side have moved ahead of the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea onto the 4th place and may also pip their North-London Rivals, i.e., Tottenham for 3rd place.
The Gunners have picked up a good amount of points against the top-6 sides this season-12 as compared to the 6 points they picked last season and Laurent Koscielny believes that the managerial change is the reason for such an improvement in the team.
The #PL top six looks like this after Matchweek 31 pic.twitter.com/JDzoWSL8Ni
— Premier League (@premierleague) March 17, 2019
Laurent Koscielny told the reporters:
“Our record against the other big six teams this season is positive,”
“We have won 12 points compared to six last season.”
“It shows how we are approaching those games differently. It is not just about attacking. We are more intelligent, we are more measured in our plans. We can change tactics halfway through a game, we can set up differently.”
“The manager is using different formations and it shows his flexibility and the players’ too which is good I think. Of course, we still need to do better away from home in the big games but we are on the right path.”
Arsenal’s win against Manchester United clearly showcased how far Arsenal have come since Arsene Wenger’s departure. And now they are in a great position to claim the third spot in the League Table with all of their fixtures coming against teams below them.
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With club captain Laurent Koscielny acknowledging Unai Emery’s tactics, it is no secret that the Gunners’ coach has been a real deal this season having already picked up 60 points in only 30 games as compared to the 63 points Arsene Wenger picked up in the whole the Premier League season.
Koscielny’s answer also highlights the influence Emery has had on the team, in a tactical sense. Unai Emery’s tactics speaks volumes, with the several different systems injecting flexibility and with the team being highly balanced with and without possession.
With the race of top 4 now being split up between 4 teams and Arsenal just lurking behind rivals Tottenham, what more can be best for the Gunners than finishing above them since the 2015-16 season.
