Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has aimed a dig at former manager Unai Emery by suggesting that he could not keep the team together during his reign at the club.
The German goalkeeper signed for Arsenal in 2018, the same year that Unai Emery succeeded Arsene Wenger as the new head coach. However, Emery was sacked just 18 months into his contract amid growing concerns over the team’s form and results.
Leno has confirmed that he did not feel like the team was heading in the right direction under the Spaniard.
“Before I don’t want to say it was a mess, it was a little bit confusing. Everybody was doing different things. We were not a team, not in the dressing room, not on the pitch, and you could see this.”
The former Bayern Leverkusen shot-stopper however credited new manager Mikel Arteta for changing the mood around the team and indeed the whole club.
“With Mikel, it changed completely. The first day he came, he was not talking too much about tactics, he was talking about how we behave in the dressing room. [He said] when we go to the games we have to be more professional, more like a team.
“It’s not only what he has learned from Pep Guardiola when you talk to all the people who worked with him, they say he’s a very clever guy with tactics and how to improve players.”
The Arenal team is currently enjoying warm-weather training in Dubai during the winter break. They will return to London next week ahead of the next league fixture against Newcastle United at the Emirates Stadium.