BAMFORD IS BACK WITH A BANG
LAURENT KOSCIELNY claims Arsenal boss Unai Emery has given the club a blast of “fresh air”. The French defender has only recently joined the party after seven months out with a ruptured Achilles but Koscielny has nothing but praise for the Gunners’ inspirational coach.
Since losing their opening two Premier League clashes of the season, Emery’s red-hot troops have gone 22 games without defeat in any competition.
They travel to basement boys Southampton today only six games from equalling the club’s best-ever unbeaten run, achieved by Arsene Wenger’s class of 2007.
Koscielny made his long-awaited return in Thursday’s Europa
League victory over Qarabag
FK. An impressive 60 minutes means he is in contention for St Mary’s.
While beating his injury hell has put a huge smile on the
33-year-old’s face, so has
Arsenal becoming a genuine force again under Emery.
Skipper Koscielny declared: “The manager and his style is fresh air for the club. He came here and knew the football he wanted to play. He tries to give all the ingredients for the players to learn about his tactics and how he wants to play.
“I’ve been running since the end of August and was near the team during training. I watched it all. We have progressed a lot in each part of our football. It’s good and very interesting.”
Injury robbed Koscielny of World Cup glory with France and left him in a dark and lonely place.
“During rehab, you have you and yourself,” he explained. “For me, it was very important to stay in my bubble and be focused with one target: to come back stronger and quicker. You have good moments but A HOWLER by Wigan keeper Christian Walton gifted Paul Lambert’s Ipswich their first home win of the season.
Walton made a hash of trying to stop Freddie Sears’ 20-yard shot as a slight deflection seemed to completely fool the keeper and it went through his arms.
Lambert did not care how his first win since taking over from Paul Hurst seven games ago came and hailed his side’s resilience.
“I had a feeling our first win would be a scrappy one,” he said. PATRICK BAMFORD’S early return from injury was spiced with a goal which ensured it was high-five time for Marcelo Bielsa’s Leeds.
A knee injury suffered in September was expected to keep the £7million summer signing from Middlesbrough on the sidelines for four months.
But a midweek hat-trick for the under-23s convinced Bielsa that the striker (right) was ready for Championship action.
And with Leeds, backed by a following of 4,500 fans, dominating possession but carrying little threat, Bamford was summoned off the bench in the 61st minute.
Four minutes later Pablo Hernandez carved out a gap in the otherwise resolute Bolton defence and Bamford drilled low past keeper Ben Alnwick.
That made it five straight wins for Leeds. Bielsa said: “The goal will give Patrick more confidence.” SOUTHAMPTON boss
Ralph Hasenhuttl is all too familiar with Arsenal hitman Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Three times in Germany the former RB Leipzig coach was on the wrong end of a strike by the then Borussia Dortmund star Aubameyang. No wonder Hasenhuttl is hoping Gunners boss Unai Emery springs one of his selection surprises at St Mary’s today and leaves Aubameyang, who has 10 goals already this season, on the bench. The Austrian admitted: “I wouldn’t be disappointed about that! As everyone knows, Aubameyang doesn’t need a lot of chances to score.
“With his pace, it’s really hard to defend. We must work hard to close this space. If we do, it will be harder for him.” BOLTON boss Phil Parkinson is the name on Reading fans’ lips – some chanted his name yesterday – as the search for Paul Clement’s successor rumbles on.
The clamour for Royals legend Parkinson to return to the club might grow after caretaker-boss Scott Marshall’s hopes were hit.
Rotherham left-back Joe Mattock scrambled home in the last minute to counter Sam Baldock’s ninthminute opener. Asked if he wanted the job permanently, Marshall said: “I’m certainly enjoying it.”
Bolton 0 Leeds 1