Mikel Arteta demanded unity from his Arsenal squad ahead of his first training session as head coach.
The Spaniard took charge of training on Sunday after watching from the stands as Arsenal drew 0-0 with Everton at Goodison Park on Saturday.
Arteta was waiting for the players in the dressing room at full-time and goalkeeper Bernd Leno revealed what was said.
‘He didn’t speak too much about quality or about tactics, he just said he wants to see players who run, who support their team-mates, who defend the goal, play as a team,’ Leno explained.
‘I think this was our main problem [before]. We played this season some good games, like this, but many games we were not good enough on this point.
‘I think this is the way he needs to push us. We understood the message. We didn’t let [Everton] have any transitions and the distances [between our defenders and their attackers] were much closer.
‘This is the only way to play, because the Premier League is too strong to have one, two or three players that don’t defend.’
Mesut Ozil and Alexandre Lacazette took part in training on Sunday after being among the group of players who missed the draw against the Toffees.
There could be a clear-out at Arsenal in the next year, with a host of players including Ozil and Granit Xhaka linked with moves away from the club.
Arsenal are not expected to do major business in the January transfer window, with limited funds available.
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