Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has expressed delight with the squad's team spirit and ability to fight through tough moments, as he prepares to celebrate his 100th game in charge of the Gunners.
Arteta has seen plenty of highs and lows during his time at the club, winning the FA Cup and yet also coming under significant pressure in almost two years in charge.
Even this season, things started off woefully, but the boss has managed to turn things around. The team come into his 100th game on Sunday on a run of seven wins and two draws in their last nine games in all competitions, and he credits togetherness for that recovery.
"For me if I have to define our identity, it is one word now: unity," he told club media. "The past that we had in recent months, it is only one, unity.
"Without unity you can't achieve what we want to achieve and unity means every person that works in the organisation, it's our way of playing, it our way of transmitting, our way of playing, it is our way of transmitting our values, our way of connecting with our fans, our ownership is everybody, uniform, thinking in the same way, with the same purpose, without any individual agendas, without any egos, just that's the task.
"That's what we want to get and a big part of that [I am] I am going to push the boat very, very fast."
Arteta has overseen some significant changes at the Emirates, spending a lot of money of new stars like Ben White and Aaron Ramsdale, and he stressed that one of his most-pressing jobs has been making sure everyone understands what it means to play for Arsenal.
"First of all, [what I want for everyone is] the feeling to be privileged to represent this club and be in the position that you are, every time you come through that door," he said.
"If that is lost, you have to go, get in your car and drive home and come back the next day with a different thought, because we're not going to move the club the way we want [without that] and that is the purpose, and without a real purpose I don't think we're going to achieve what we want."
Source : 90min