Per Mertesacker has revealed that ‘enthusiasm’ in the dressing room has replaced ‘tristesse’ – a state of melancholy sadness.

Mertesacker was speaking to Sport Bild about Unai Emery’s speeches to the team and if the head coach’s limited English made a difference. The BFG said it did, but not for reasons you might expect.

It was in these comments that he slipped in the one about ‘tristesse’.

“The speeches are clear and easy to understand,” Mertesacker said of Emery. “It also helps the many players who do not speak English so well themselves.

“Tristesse has been replaced with enthusiasm”.

Mertesacker also revealed that Unai Emery is not daft enough to think things will always go as smoothly as they have during the club’s 22-game unbeaten run.  The head coach expects setbacks, “because we are not as well-established as the other top teams in the Premier League”.

It must have taken a while for the players to get used to Emery’s new style after living with Wenger for so long. While the Frenchman was no doubt a passionate man, he held most of that internally which is not something you can say about Emery.

He displays his emotions for all to see and I’m loving it.