Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang says the Arsenal players have fully bought into Mikel Arteta’s methods and they “trust the process” the head coach is trying to implement.
Aubameyang’s second-half penalty was enough to earn Arsenal a 1-0 victory against Manchester United on Sunday. It was their first win away at a ‘big six’ side for five years and their first win at Old Trafford since 2006.
Breaking that duck is another significant milestone achieved during Arteta’s tenure as Gunners boss, with next month marking a year since the Spaniard succeeded Unai Emery in north London.
The Gunners were in the bottom half of the table when Arteta took charge, with the 38-year-old guiding the club to FA Cup and Community Shield success, as well as an eighth-place finish in the Premier League.
Three defeats from their first seven Premier League matches this term suggests the team is still plagued by inconsistency, but Aubameyang insists Arteta retains the full backing of the players and his long-term vision for the club.
“We knew since the beginning that we had to trust the process,” he told the club’s website. “Mikel is bringing something very nice and everyone wants to follow him.”
Reflecting on Sunday’s win, which saw him become the first Arsenal player to score a penalty in the Premier League at Old Trafford, the Gabon striker added: “It's been a very tough night but I'm really happy because the team played very well tonight. It's been a long time without a win here, so of course it's a big win.
“I work a lot on penalties in training with Laca [Alexandre Lacazette], so I’m pretty confident. As I said, the team did a great job. I'm really happy with all the boys. Everyone was giving their best today and that's why we won.
“At half-time we were concerned we hadn't scored but we knew that in the second half we had to score because we had some opportunities in the first half. We managed the first half well and then in the second half we managed to score. After that, everyone wanted to defend as a squad. We did that well and I'm happy.”