“Then obviously as the time has gone on it’s got more global, because the deliveries have been really good. But again, I think I’ve always had that ability from dead-ball situations, it’s just about believing in it and like I said, putting it into practice. Once I sat with Nico and discussed it, I was all in, I was 100% committed.
“That feeling of getting assists for my teammates, and playing a part in goals, is something I probably didn’t focus on much at the start of my career. But now I’m desperate to add goals, add assists to my game and to help the team out. Knowing on a matchday that you’ve helped the team to a win is massive.
“At the minute I’m in a mood where I’m so confident in my football,” Dec, who has two goals and four assists so far this season adds. “My rhythm is high, I’m playing every three days, I have the confidence every time I step on the pitch. Every time I touch a ball I feel like something’s going to come off.
“I have the confidence at the minute so I’m just going with the flow. I feel strong and confident. I’m not trying to analyse too much right now, I just want to stay in the zone.”
The strength of the squad is also playing a big part in his form, Dec says. Competition for places is always cited as healthy and necessary to raise the level from people outside the group, but is that how it works in practice?
“Yes, 100% it raises the level,” Dec says, “because you can’t ever be comfortable in your role. You’ve got training sessions, you’ve got games, you’ve got people waiting to come on and impress, you’ve got people wanting to start. You’re at Arsenal Football Club, everyone wants to start.
“Competition is healthy because it brings out the best in you and I know it certainly does for me. I want to play every game, I want to play in the biggest and best games.
“But I understand as well that I’m a team player and for certain games, you need certain individuals to play different roles. As long as we all chip in together, I think we can go in the right direction.
“Training is such a good level. We have top players and there are a lot of players coming back from injury now too. The squad’s really strong. The way the training is managed is really, really good and I think you can see we’re fresh going into matchdays and everyone knows their roles.”
The only thing missing now is the silverware to show for the work Dec and his teammates have been putting in over the past few years. It’s something that he is acutely aware of, and it’s inspiring him every single day in training.
“I think we all now know it. We can feel it off the supporters, we can see it in ourselves. I think the manager deserves it more than anyone because the points tally we’ve racked up the last three years, the way we’ve played, the way we’ve played against big teams, the way we’ve played in Europe.
“The only thing missing to stop people talking is to win a trophy because we’re doing everything else right. We’re young players who want to win stuff, we want this club to succeed, so we’re going to do everything we can.”
