Arsenal are seeking to end a run of three Premier League games without a win as they are going to play Bournemouth.The Gunners are unbeaten in their last 16 games in all competitions but have drawn their last three Premier League games to slip eight points behind Manchester City. Ahead of the game, Arsenal boss Unai Emery has faced the press. “We are doing OK, 16 games not losing but also the last three matches we draw. This is two situations. Our ambition is to take another victory, but winning each match is very difficult,” said Emery on their current form. The Spaniard provided injury update: “Only Danny [Welbeck] who has an injury and also Nacho Monreal now is not OK for Sunday. Laurent Koscielny now is close with us to start maybe little by little taking minutes. It’s good news. Lichtsteiner is starting to train with us but for Sunday he is not OK. We will look tomorrow.” More from the press conference On Bournemouth threat Now they are just four points behind us and on Sunday we are playing there. They are a good team with a young coach but he has a very big experience. I know Bournemouth, they prepare well with good tactical movement on the pitch. They have a big intensity with each player. When they play at home we know it is difficult. We need to prepare well with every player to have a big mentality and intensity for the 90 minutes. Emery eyeing top four For two years we lost out on playing in the Champions League. That is the first thing in mind we want to recover. But also now the Premier League is at a big level with big teams and with big demands for us. Our first idea is to recover this position in Europe and to play in the Champions League. We want to, but it’s not easy. We can and we are going to work in each training session and matches to be close. Holding has stepped up His chances are coming in the matches and now Koscielny also is working with us every day and he is close to playing in the next matches. Sokratis is working better every day also, I think his adaptation is better now than in the first two months. We need every player and Rob Holding for us is also very important with his spirit, with his commitment with us and with every player. Surprised by Bournemouth? Watching their matches, I am not surprised. They are a very organised team, they work hard tactically in every game. And in their stadium with their supporters, they feel like they can win against every team. On being put under pressure from the board to get top four I learned in my past that I am not pressured. Not playing, not working. I learned that I need, for me and for every player and people that work closely with me, we need to have very big demands. Here, I want to transmit to every player, the high level we need to work, the high level we need to stay and it isn’t under pressure. It is in our demands, our big demands every day. Emery on wanting more Every match in the Premier League, we have three points to play for. And this is the same, three points against Liverpool, like against another team. I started this press conference saying to you we are well. Yes, we are well. Sixteen matches without a loss, it’s good. I think it’s good. But also, we have ambition and we want more. And we need more. The three last matches, we drew. It isn’t enough. It’s not enough. We need to win more. On Koscielny's return He started to train with us, every day, one month ago. The process with him is that in this International break, it is to finish training with us every day to start playing, little by little. First, our idea is to start with the Under-23s, but also, these two weeks of training with us, I am looking at him. He is well, with good performance, good feeling and I think he, today, is close to also play with us. But the first idea is, and maybe on Monday, he can play with the 23s. We are going to decide tomorrow the plan with him, but we are thinking for him to start to take minutes.
On the need to start rotating the squad
Maybe, maybe we are going to do changes to give a lot of players the possibility to help us. But thinking that we can be a big performance with them, but at the moment, the young players like Nketiah, like Willock, like Emile and also Ainsley, they are working well and I think they need to be the focus in big moments for when they are in the pitch, to help us with their performance.