Alex Iwobi has revealed that he’s enjoying life at Arsenal under Unai Emery, whose approach is benefiting the Gunners’ attacking players, according to the midfielder.
The 22-year-old’s entire career at the Emirates Stadium had been spent under the tutelage of Arsene Wenger, but he’s enjoying the process of adapting to a new style of coaching.
“It’s exciting times to be fair,” Iwobi told Arsenal Player. “Everybody’s enjoying and buying into the new ideas.
“For me personally, I’m enjoying the new sessions, the new training methods and the new ideas, so I’m enjoying my time with him.
“He demands a lot. He’s a lot more intense, a lot of high pressing and keeping the ball so that it benefits us if we have the ball,” Iwobi continued. “It’s good for us, especially the attackers who like to have the ball a lot.”
Despite the optimism around the club, results have not gone Arsenal’s way since Emery replaced Wenger at the helm.
They were defeated 2-0 at home by Manchester City in their Premier League opener, a result which put a dampener on Emery’s welcome to the Emirates Stadium.
Despite an improved display against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, they were again on the receiving end of a defeat – falling to a 3-2 loss – to leave them pointless after two matches.
“It’s making me feel a bit sharper, I’m doing things with a bit more intensity,” the Nigeria international added. “It’s not just for me, though, I feel like I’m helping the team a lot more. It’s benefitting me a lot more.
“Whenever something in the system changes, you have to prove yourself again, but wherever you go, you have to prove that you’re better than whoever else is on the team.”
After making 26 appearances in the league last season, Iwobi was overlooked for Arsenal’s opener against City.
However, he started at Stamford Bridge and found the net in the 41st minute after being set up by Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
“At a team like Arsenal, that’s always going to be hard so I always have to be on it in training and matches. “I’ve got to be different,” Iwobi concluded.
“It’s going to be hard because we’ve got so many attackers and so many world-class players, so I’ve just got to prove that I’m on that level or as good as them so that I can be ahead of them, which is my aim.”
Arsenal will be desperate to get their first PL points on the board when they host West Ham United on Saturday.
