Emery a breath of fresh air at Arsenal, says Koscielny

Laurent Koscielny has said that Unai Emery has provided a breath of “fresh air” at Arsenal as the club captain prepares to make his first Premier League appearance of the season.

Koscielny is in line to feature against Southampton today after making his comeback from injury in Arsenal’s 1-0 victory over Qarabag in the Europa League on Thursday night.

The 33-year-old has watched from the sidelines as Emery has overseen a run of 22 games without defeat – the club’s longest unbeaten run since 2007.

“I think it is fresh air for the club,” said Koscielny, who was considering leaving Arsenal along with former manager Arsene Wenger before suffering his injury in May.

“He came here with his ideas and he knows the football he wants to play. He tries to give all the ingredients for the players to learn about his tactics and how he wants to play.”

Koscielny has been battling to regain fitness since he ruptured his Achilles during Arsenal’s Europa League semifinal defeat by Atletico Madrid last season. He subsequently missed France’s World Cup-winning campaign in Russia but said that his appearance against Qarabag marked a “new chapter” in his career. “During rehab, you have you and yourself,” he said. “For me it was very important to stay in my bubble and to be focused with one target: to come back stronger and quicker. You have not just good moments, you have some bad ones, some days you can’t progress as you wish.

“This is difficult, but you have the people around you to help you and keep your head up. Football is just a part of my life. I have a life outside the pitch. Now with my physical state and my head, I am more calm and I just want to enjoy.”

Asked about his first appearance of the season, in which he played 72 minutes, Koscielny said: “It was a special day for me after seven months. Just before you come on to the pitch, you think about what you did. I had some flashes in my head of the seven months of rehab I did. Now it’s the end.

“I have been running since the end of August and I was near the team during the training sessions.

“I watched all the training so I know all the tactics, all the runs, when we have the ball, when we need to defend, when we need to press.”

The defender’s return is timely for head coach Emery, who is without the suspended Sokratis and Shkodran Mustafi, and the injured Rob Holding, for today’s trip to the south coast.