Arsenal star Takehiro Tomiyasu has opened up on why the Gunners imploded so spectacularly at the back end of last season and missed out on Champions League qualification.
Mikel Arteta's men occupied the much-coveted fourth spot with just three games to go and even boasted a five-point advantage over nearest challengers and local rivals Tottenham. Yet, after defeat at the hands of their enemies was followed by another loss at St. James' Park against Newcastle, Antonio Conte's Spurs leapfrogged Arsenal into the top four.
The pain of that night on Tyneside will live long in the memory of all who witnessed it, with Arteta's young side, who had enjoyed such stellar results earlier on in the campaign, falling at the final hurdle when it mattered most.
Tomiyasu's second-half of last season was littered with injuries, he missed the disastrous display at Spurs but was rushed back for the trip to Newcastle.
It was a decision that proved costly, with the Japan international lasting just under 40 minutes before he had to be replaced by Cedric Soares after aggravating the same hamstring injury he carried into the game.
Fast forward eight months and Tomiyasu has since explained what went wrong for Arsenal last-term and how they have turned things around to such a point that they now sit five-points clear at the top of the Premier League with half of the season completed.
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Speaking to Goal, the Gunners star compared last season to the current one as he revealed: "We understand more [about] Mikel's football. We've got depth, we've got some new players, but the biggest thing is we understand Mikel's football more than last season."
"Last season we understood," Tomiyasu added, "But we couldn’t express it. But this season we understand and we are showing how he wants us to play. This is the big difference."
Arteta has done a remarkable job of picking up his players, likely to have been crestfallen at the way things ended last campaign and inspired them to such form this time around.
The Spaniard certainly has the full belief and backing of Tomiyasu, who isn't even a regular on the team-sheet nowadays.
The right-back has seen what was once viewed as 'his' spot taken by England international Ben White, with the former Brighton man barely putting a foot wrong this term.
Despite this, Tomiyasu couldn't help but sing Arteta's praises as he claimed: "Mikel knows about football, he knows about football structure, [he knows] everything, our job is to just explain on the pitch what he says. I believe him. He’s just amazing. He’s the best manager I’ve ever played with."
