Arsenal: Unai Emery has mentality nailed to a tee

Unai Emery has stated that he and his Arsenal players must stay calm and continue to improve, despite the recent victories. He has the right mentality for success.

Unai Emery had never managed in England before he was hired to be Arsene Wenger’s successor at the Emirates in the summer. So when he arrived at Arsenal, other than being able to watch his career from afar, no one who doesn’t follow European football in detail knew what his management style, his approaches and his philosophies would be like.

Catch the latest episode of the Pain in the Arsenal podcast right here

I was aware of Emery as a manager and vastly meticulous and successful coach throughout his time in Spain and France, but I had not seen him manage a club on a day-to-day basis — I do not follow Paris Saint-Germain or Sevilla or Valencia nearly as closely as I follow Arsenal. I presume that is true for most fans of the Premier League.

More from Pain in the Arsenal

• 3 standout players from 1-0 victory over Everton
• 3 positives & negatives from Goodison Park victory
• Arsenal vs PSV preview: Prediction, team news & lineups
• 3 talking points from Arsenal’s victory at Goodison Park
• Mikel Arteta provides Gabriel Martinelli injury update after Everton win

One thing that I have been extremely impressed with recently is the mentality that he has both managed with and installed into his players. After the 5-1 win over Fulham, Emery, who has seen his side rise to fourth in the table, just two points behind the triumvirate frontrunners, was asked about his team being possible title challengers. This is what he said:

"“When we lost the first two matches against Manchester City and Chelsea, we were calm. When we are winning now, I think we need to be in the same way in our mentality. We are going up in the table little by little, giving us a better position for our objective <…> [We need to] be calm, enjoy working, stay together, but improve individually and collectively and find our best performance in each match with combinations from the players. Because we need to continue to improve and we can.”"

Emery is showing great consistency in his mentality. He did not overreact when Arsenal lost to Manchester City and Chelsea to open the season; he is not overreacting now. He is measured, balanced, even-keeled, and self-aware, understanding that the position he and his players are in should be celebrated but also not taken for granted.

Emery also displays a relentless streak here. His team is playing the best that they ever have done under his management. They have won nine games in succession. Things are going well, especially results wise. It would have been very easy for him to extol the qualities of his team, praising them up the wall and providing them with both confidence and complacency. But he didn’t.

Instead, he chose to highlight that there are still areas where this team can improve. I am sure he is providing the same message behind the scenes also. Because it’s a true one. There are key issues that need to be addressed for this run of good form to be extended.

This is a winner’s mentality. A winner says ‘that is not enough’. A winner always believes there is more to come. A winner always focuses on what can be bettered. A winner is relentless in their pursuit of perfection. Emery is exhibiting these same characteristics, and I absolutely love it.