'He gave us the will to win': Unai Emery reveals Laurent Koscielny gave an inspirational speech prior to Arsenal's victory over Tottenham

Laurent Koscielny helped pump up his team-mates prior to the game
The defender is nearing a return after six months out with an Achilles injury
Arsenal boss Unai Emery has revealed that club captain Laurent Koscielny delivered an inspiring speech prior to his side's victory over fierce rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

A brace from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and strikes from Alexandre Lacazette and Lucas Torreira saw the Gunners run out 4-2 winners at the Emirates Stadium, leapfrogging Spurs into fourth place in the process.

And Koscielny, who has been out with an Achilles injury since May, played a big role in making sure the team were mentally ready for the big game.

Every player is like me, when it is a derby we need the other players to give us his experience and character,’ Emery said following the win.

‘For example, our meeting today finished with a speech from Laurent Koscielny, for one minute, which gave us the will to win.'

Koscielny is nearing a return to the first team after making his comeback with an appearance for the club's Under-23s.

Emery was very pleased with his team's performance and believes they are showing good signs of improvement.

‘For us winning is very important, together we can play like today,' the Spaniard continued. 'Our position on the pitch was good, every time we compete with and without the ball.

‘And they kept calm even when Spurs were winning. I am very happy for the supporters and for every player. We want to keep improving defensively and not conceding opportunities for the opposition to score.’

‘A result like today and how we are playing is good for our confidence. Now we plan for three points at Manchester United on Wednesday.’