Arsenal defender Johan Djourou has hailed the impact of coach Steve Bould.

Djourou insists Arsenal have a far more solid base from which to fight their battles.

He told the Mirror: "Pat Rice was great, but because of the way Steve played the game, it's just a massive positive for us.

"Steve works on team shape. With Arsenal, people have always blamed the defence for our problems, which I have always felt has been pretty harsh.

"With Steve joining Mr Wenger, it is not only the defence that protects the team - it starts from the front. Our midfielders, Mikel Arteta and Abou Diaby, have been doing a great job protecting the defence and that's what you need at this level.

"The guys are also working hard up front. Now it is the whole team that defends. There is a massive difference now to what we had before. I've been at the club a long time and you have to go back to when Patrick Vieira was with us for when we last had that kind of platform.

"We are gaining that back now. We've got that kind of stability all over the pitch.

"Steve is a great coach and, to be honest, I believe we can achieve some big things with our manager and with him."