Former Arsenal star Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has revealed the Gunners legend who used to “hammer” his teammates when they made mistakes.
The Gunners currently have very much of a team feel under Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal boss likes his side to train with music on, he likes to keep a dressing room atmosphere that is as harmonious as possible, and part of that is by not signing ‘star players’.
Most Read on Gooner News
It has paid off for the Gunners’ manager, as his side are currently sat at the top of the Premier League table heading into the international break. They recently drew 2-2 to Sunderland, to remain unbeaten in their last 14 games in all competitions.
However, they did lose to Liverpool earlier in the year, meaning that the invincible season won’t be replicated this year. One Arsenal player who played in that team was Thierry Henry, who returned to Arsenal in 2012 to make a cameo late on in his career.
Henry used to “hammer” teammates at Arsenal
The Frenchman has to be considered one of if not the best Arsenal player of all time, and it has been revealed that his success, was much down to his competitive streak, and his drive to constantly win each and every week.
Former Arsenal winger Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has told Fozcast: “When Thierry Henry returned to Arsenal, it was a big deal to all of us at the club. He had that aura, and he knew it. One thing I saw from him, which is something at Arsenal we were missing at the time, was that edge, and he had it.
“Everyone in the squad was good, but maybe we didn’t have that killer edge. We’d play against the top four teams, and we’d fall just short, but Henry brought back that edge. Even in training, if someone missed a one-on-one, he’d hammer them for it. Even with the young lads, if they would miss a chance, he’d go mental at them.
“The right players would react in the right way to that, and because it was him, people understood it. And I was one of those people, so whilst he was at Arsenal, he helped me quite a lot, giving me advice, which was great.
“The moment he walked through the door, he had something special about him. I remember thinking that if he was doing this now, on his own, imagine with The Invincibles – no wonder they were so successful.”
In his career, Henry made over 377 appearances for Arsenal, scoring 228 goals, and providing 101 assists for the Gunners. He won a World Cup, a European Championship, the Champions League, two Premier Leagues, and three FA Cups during his career.
Click here to see every Arsenal player who is currently away on international duty.