After a string of lesser results, head coach Peter Bosz is convinced that it is essential to return to basics. "No player can carry a team alone; we have to do this together," he told the press conference ahead of sc Heerenveen.
How do you lookbackatArsenal?
"I analyzed the match and I think it's not in working harder, but in daring to really play football."
Is the chemistry between you and the players still there?
"I feel that chemistry when we work together on the field, eat a sandwich together, drink a cup of coffee or have a meeting. That feels really good."
Still, what gives you faith in that turnaround, considering the training sessions have been improving for weeks but the results have been lacking?
"Things often run ahead of each other. If you train well, at some point you start getting the results you need again. You hope that will be the case tomorrow. These guys have shown they can play really good football together, so that should come out again tomorrow against sc Heerenveen."
How do you turn this situation around?
"We are constantly working on that. We are thinking and consulting with the staff. The most important thing is to keep it simple, to go back to the essence and the basics. Last year we had great performances with this group of players, and I still have that group. We have to make sure that we start playing well again, get the ball back quickly and then you have a claim to victory again."
You talk about returning to the basics. What exactly is that basis?
"The basis is the way you play. If you want to regain the good game, you have to go back to that. It's about playing together and recapturing the ball together. No player can carry a team alone; we have to do this together. Of course, the way we talk to each other now is different from last year. Then you tried to keep the guys on task, now it's much more about giving them confidence."
How is your selection looking ahead of the game with sc Heerenveen?
"Joey Veerman was sick yesterday, but he was back at the club. Mauro JR trained with us yesterday, but he wasn't 100% yet. We will check that out in a moment. If all goes well, Sergiño Dest will be in the matchday squad tomorrow. I'm very happy about that."
How are you looking at tomorrow's duel with sc Heerenveen?
"We know how they play, that hasn't changed either with the new coach who is now temporarily at the helm there. But it will mainly depend on how we do; we play at home and have good players who should put a top performance on the mat."