“I think it’s changed in the last year,” he said. “I’ve seen matches where Arsenal have had ten men in their own half.
“That didn’t exist at my time. When I see the defensive work Giroud does… the midfielders too, I think Arsenal defend a lot more these days. And I think that’s a good thing because to win games at the highest level, to win in the Champions League, you need that.”
And he looks back on his time in North London with some regret, it being the only club where things really didn’t work for him.
“I arrived at Arsenal without a proper pre-season because my move from Sevilla happened quickly. Arsenal brought me as a third centre-back, there was an injury straight away, and I had a run of 15 or 20 games straight away.
“Despite everything, the first two of three months didn’t go too badly, then in December I wasn’t good at all, I didn’t perform well and I took a bit of a hit.
“There was a lot of intensity, arriving in England from Spain, the game’s not the same. It’s very demanding in England. My performances dipped. That’s the way things go.
“I fought all the same, I gave everything, but there were high expectations and, like I say, Arsenal conceded goals before I came, they conceded goals after I left, and they’ll concede in the future.
“I feel the criticism was a bit exaggerated, but that’s the way it is. I wasn’t good enough overall. It’s a shame, but that’s part of a career. I’d never experienced that before, I’d always been a first choice player at other clubs.”
