Interview

'Everyone changed their attitude straight away'

A lot has changed since Mikel Arteta walked through our training ground doors as our new head coach just eight months ago.

So looking back on it now, how did he feel on his very first day in charge?

"I could have a sense from the outside what was happening, everything I was reading, the people I had inside the club that could feed me some information," he told Arsenal Digital.

"But I think until the day that you walk through that door and start to really feel the energy and what is happening, it's difficult to predict what the role is that you have to take in terms of the impact you want to make. I was worried, I saw a lot of things that worried me in terms of the unity, the energy that was around the place.

"But I must say that straight away in the next few days, I completely felt that something was changing. I must say a big thank you to all the staff for how helpful they've been with me since the moment I joined and as well to the players because they really got on board, they changed their attitude straight away.

"They started to be together, to train really, really well and paid a lot of attention to what we wanted to do. And obviously to the fans because I was with City [at the Emirates] just a few days before my appointment, and I saw the stadium and what was happening there.

"I was very concerned and straight away I must say that the fans got right behind the team, we started to create a different atmosphere at the Emirates and that was a huge help for myself, the players and the club I think."

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