Aubameyang - We've seen a big difference already

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says Mikel Arteta has made an instant impact since returning to the club as our head coach.

The Gabon international scored the first goal under our new boss, during our Boxing Day draw at Bournemouth, and is hoping to help Arteta secure his first three points against Chelsea at Emirates Stadium.

 

"We need to make sure, all of us, players and fans, that he has a successful home debut," Aubameyang told the official matchday programme. "He’s only been in charge for a few days but we’ve seen a big difference already. We needed someone who would come in and shake the whole squad up.

 

"We needed someone with new ideas, with a new message and someone who would take us in a different direction. Mikel has brought all of that. We needed a fresh new start and something different and we can feel it already.

 

"He is very rigorous and demanding on the training pitch. It’s all about details with him so he talks a lot, repositions us, explains a lot of little things.

 

"If you analyse our display against Bournemouth closely, you can see tactically the changes that Mikel made, like the positions of our two full backs, Mesut and I playing between the lines behind Laca, Granit’s position as well in the build-up play.

"His message to the players was clear and well received. It was about attitude and commitment. He wants us to be at 200 per cent all the time, to give everything we have and leave it all on the pitch. It’s exciting for us because it’s so different to everything we have done and experimented with before.

 

"It is a new dawn and you can feel how positive everyone is at the club about it. We could also close the gap on Chelsea to five points with a win. We need the Emirates to be a fortress and make it really hard for Chelsea. It’s Mikel’s return too and I’m sure you will all be really up for it and we need to feel it."

 

Read more from Auba's captain's notes in the matchday programme