Juan Mata takes a glance on the way he passed alongside Unai Emery amid links from Arsenal: What could it mean?

Manchester United player Juan Mata, who has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, has revealed some interesting details from Unai Emery’s coaching activity. Mata played under Emery when the Spaniard was in charge at Valencia. And in an extract from Emery’s biography which has been published by the Telegraph the Manchester United star describes just what it is like as a player to work under the 46-year-old. “I think what’s special about Unai is the way he communicates,” said Emery. “In his talks, he used to write three, four or five things on the board: those were the points he was going to bring up. Sometimes it was five phrases or metaphors he was going to explain. I’ve never seen that with my other managers. “They usually revolved around phrases about positivity, camaraderie, the values he wanted to create in his team. He communicated by means of the points he had written down. Emery is known as a coach who is hugely demanding on the training pitch and he has certainly changed things drastically at Arsenal since his arrival at the summer. “I think what’s special about Unai is the way he communicates,” said Mata. “In his talks, he used to write three, four or five things on the board: those were the points he was going to bring up. Sometimes it was five phrases or metaphors he was going to explain. I’ve never seen that with my other managers. “They usually revolved around phrases about positivity, camaraderie, the values he wanted to create in his team. He communicated by means of the points he had written down. Mata also revealed what it was like on the training pitch with Emery. “Unai is the manager who works hardest at set-pieces. And he would change tactics depending on who we were facing. He was constantly coming up with new ideas. “We were often surprised, because it could seem very complicated and you had to concentrate a lot, apart from anything else trying to remember what the plan was for different games, because it changed all the time! “I remember above all a free-kick we used to do in the middle of our opponents’ half. Instead of sending the ball up the middle of the pitch where everyone was crowding in, we would put two players on each side and two in the centre,” he said. “At the sides, one player screened the other, who darted forward towards the far post. The player taking the free-kick would raise an arm to show which side the ball would go. I don’t know if Unai still does it, but if it’s the right arm, then it’s going to the right-hand side!” Mata added.

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