Shkodran Mustafi praises Unai Emery for giving Arsenal mixture of 'freedom and discipline'
Shkodran Mustafi has praised Arsenal head coach Unai Emery for providing the club with a potent mix of “freedom and discipline” that has helped them to avoid defeat in their last 14 matches.
Mustafi said Emery’s detailed tactical instructions have allowed him to perform better as an individual and also made the team a more solid defensive unit.
The German centre-back struggled for consistency under former manager Arsene Wenger, who left the club after 22 years this summer, but has looked more comfortable as Arsenal have embarked on an impressive run under Emery.
“For me personally, the biggest thing is that he is someone who really knows what he wants from each player,” Mustafi said of Emery. “He tells you exactly what he wants you to do but at the same time he gives you freedom to expose your talent.
“For example when we don’t have the ball he tells you exactly where to stand and how to get the ball from the opponent. When we have the ball he gives you the options you can use, but still you can decide which you are going to choose. For me it is a good mix between freedom but still very disciplined, and having the same plan in the whole team.”
Arsenal face Portuguese side Sporting in the Europa League tonight knowing that they could guarantee their place in the tournament’s knockout stages with a win. Emery’s side have won all three of their matches in Europe so far this season, including a 1-0 win over Sporting in Lisbon last month.
Mustafi, who is yet to feature in Europe this campaign, has formed a strong partnership with Rob Holding in recent weeks. The pair impressed in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Liverpool, which Mustafi said was the performance that best demonstrated Arsenal’s development under the new head coach.
“That was the first game I felt like we came out from the first minute and we we were everywhere until the 90th minute so I feel like there is a good mix between discipline and freedom,” Mustafi said.
“I think that we are very good attacking, and that makes the defensive work a bit easier. Even when we lose the ball we are pressing straight away and trying to win the ball back straight away, high up the pitch. That makes it easier to defend, because you don’t have to always go 60 or 70 yards back to win the ball back in your own box.”
Meanwhile, club captain Laurent Koscielny could return to action soon after the international break. The defender has not played since he ruptured his Achilles in Arsenal’s Europa League semi-final defeat by Atletico Madrid at the end of last season.
Koscielny has since returned to Arsenal training and Emery said the Frenchman is “close” to making his competitive return. “He is getting better every day and we are going to think after the internationals,” Emery said. “I hope we can continue working and start to think about him playing games.”
