GRANIT TELLS GUNNERS TO FIRE EARLY
GRANIT XHAKA says Arsenal have learned lessons from last season and can not afford another bad start.
Gunners boss Unai Emery was handed a nightmare fixture list at the beginning of last term as they lost to Manchester City and Chelsea in the opening two games of his reign.
This time, Arsenal are already looking at the trip to Newcastle on the opening day and a home game against Burnley as must-win matches to set the tone for a season when they are targeting a Champions League return.
Arsenal fell apart in May when they managed just one win in their last five Premier League games, and then lost the Europa League final. That inspired a lot of soul searching in the dressing room, according to Xhaka, who said it was always going to take time for Emery (below) to make his mark.
“We now know Unai for one year,” said the Switzerland midfielder. “We now know how he wants to play, the philosophy, the ideas.
“It is not easy if you have a new staff and to take the ideas so fast, but now it is the second year. He knows us better than last season and what is important is to start very well, to take three points in the Premier League.
“We have started pre-season very well, we work very hard, we do a lot of tactical things where we were not so good last season. We have good spirit.
“We are more and more together now, but in the end we have to be ready for Newcastle.”
Arsenal missed out on the top four by a point last term and wasted another chance to get into the Champions League by losing the Europa League final. And Xhaka added: “Team spirit is important and players that have a good mentality.
“And it is always good if you have players like we have, young players. You have to work more because they are young and hungry. But you see the quality that we have. Good team, good young players. I hope they stay like that – it is not only for one game.”
Xhaka, 26, is the favourite to take over the armband from out-of-favour defender Laurent Koscielny.
And he said: “All the players have to be captains
on the pitch.”