by ‘Ifreke Inyang

Arsenal defender, Thomas Vermaelen, says he is absolutely delighted to be working with the club’s new assistant manager, Steve Bould. After Pat Rice retired at the end of the 2011/2012, Arsene Wenger appointed the 49-year-old, and Vermaelen is of the opinion that it was a great choice.

“Steve is really good to work with, especially for defenders as he has been a defender himself,” Vermaelen told Arsenal Player. “He knows what it is all about and gives us a lot of tips. He works a lot on the shape of the team and that is very important, so I am very happy he came to work with the first team.”

“He is very focused on details. A lot of players, because we are getting older, we know how to play. But he looks at details and the shape of your body and to be honest I am learning a lot from him.”

The Belgian centre back, also asserted that the Gunners have been working hard during pre-season, and are almost ready for the new campaign.

“We have to get the shape of the team right. We have been working on it throughout pre-season and we are focusing on that.

“I think having your shape right is one of the most important things in football, whether you have the ball or don’t have the ball. We are working really hard on that and Steve does the job really well.”