Trevor Steven: Arsenal have rediscovered their team spirit and it is fuelling their revival under Unai Emery
On the eve of the season, when we were all making our predictions, I felt that the Arsenal squad that Unai Emery was inheriting was very good – but one that was in need of a push.
Having lost his first two matches – understandably, since little was expected against Manchester City and Chelsea – Emery has guided the Gunners to a 10-match winning run, culminating in Monday’s 3-1 Premier League victory over Leicester.
And what has struck me most about Arsenal’s run is that under the Spaniard they have become a hugely spirited team again.
Read more: Arsenal 3-1 Leicester: Five things we learned
In the later years of Arsene Wenger’s reign supporters had had enough, much of the discussion was about the long-serving manager and the players appeared disconnected.
Now the mood is very different. You sense the players really believe in each other. Yes, the squad is packed with quality but the spirit is the overriding factor and it’s getting better with each win.
Lucas Torreira embodies Arsenal’s new spirit best. He didn’t start in the first few games following his summer move from Sampdoria, but my goodness he has made an impact since breaking into the first XI.
With his intensity, doggedness and controlled aggression, the Uruguay midfielder is doing for Emery’s team what N’Golo Kante did first for Leicester and has since then for Chelsea.
When Ian Rush was leading the line for Liverpool in the 80s and 90s, their defending started from the front. His pressing would bring the midfield forward, which would force the defence upfield too.
It’s about an attitude, and Torreira is performing a similar role in setting the agenda for his colleagues.
Mesut Ozil has also thrived under Unai Emery's new regime (Source: Getty)
The other player who symbolises the new Arsenal is Mesut Ozil, who starred against Leicester and looks like a player transformed.
Ozil is meant to be the iconic figure at the club and is their highest earner. Ask anyone in German football and they’ll tell you he can do anything – but his attitude has been wrong.
Now that seems to have changed. He appears to get it. He was in need of some love after his acrimonious international retirement in the summer. Arsenal have given it to him.
Being made captain on Monday was recognition from Emery that Ozil has embraced a more collective approach. It’s also a smart move that gives him greater responsibility: he can’t shirk his role as a leader.
Arsenal, then, have bought into Emery’s modern brand of football and it’s bearing fruit.
Their winning run stretches to 10 games but they are a different, more powerful team now to the side scraping results at the start of the sequence.
Everything they do seems to be coming off because everyone is confident. You have to be careful with the world “invincible” when talking about Arsenal, but at the moment they will be feeling like they just can’t lose.
Whatever happens next they will always have this run to go back to and take heart from. They shouldn’t be looking at Premier League title challenges or the top four or even cups – just going game by game and staying in repeat mode.
The players will be loving it, enjoying going into training and the games won’t be able to come quickly enough. The key for them is to maintain their current intensity and keep taking risks.