Football
Mattias Karen, Arsenal correspondent 6y

Henrikh Mkhitaryan says Arsenal are on right path under Unai Emery

Arsenal playmaker Henrikh Mkhitaryan has insisted that the Gunners are on the right path under Unai Emery despite two straight losses to start the season, and that the team "know where we're going" with the Spaniard's new tactics.

Mkhitaryan scored one goal and assisted the other in Arsenal's 3-2 loss at Chelsea on Saturday, which followed an opening-day 2-0 defeat to Manchester City at the Emirates.

Despite the lack of points, the Armenian told Sky Sports News that he remains confident that Emery's approach -- which include a more aggressive pressing system and focus on playing out from the back -- will work in time.

"We're not happy with the result but we know where we're going, what we're doing, what the coach is demanding from us and we're trying to do that," Mkhitaryan said. "We can say we had a hard schedule having played Manchester City and Chelsea, but we had to face them now or later so it doesn't matter.

"We did our best. In one case we can say we were unlucky a bit, but that is football, it can happen. The most important thing is to stay positive, believe in ourselves and to keep working the same way and the result will come.

"We are creating chances. Maybe we are not as good to score at the moment but I think it's just the first few games."

Arsenal now face West Ham on Saturday badly needing a win to start building some momentum under Emery, who took over from Arsene Wenger when the Frenchman stepped down in May.

Emery inherited a team that finished sixth in the Premier League last season and has been tasked with shoring up a notoriously leaky defence.

Asked about the differences between Wenger and Emery, Mkhitaryan said: "Emery kept the philosophy of Wenger but is building something new on it. He knows he can give something different to this club, like the balance between attack and defence. It's not easy but I think he's doing it in the right way.

"We have to keep working because we have a new manager, a new philosophy and want to play in a different way than before under Wenger. It's not too easy but we are trying to achieve that and do what the coach is asking from us.

"He wants to play football and dominate the game and that's what we're doing, we're not just kicking the ball up front."

Mkhitaryan highlighted Arsenal's second goal against Chelsea as proof that Emery's style is starting to work. He set up Alex Iwobi to finish off that move, which started with goalkeeper Petr Cech playing it out from the back.

"We are trying to play football, our second goal against Chelsea we had 19 consecutive passes and then Alex finished the attack and we scored," he said. "It's a new philosophy, we have to accept that and work hard to achieve our goals."

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