It is that level of expectation that has helped prove there is life after Arsene Wenger. 'He wants to make everything perfect,' said Mesut Ozil.
Of course, Emery is delighted with the results. His team are two points off the Premier League summit and on course for a Champions League qualification spot that was always the brief for his first season in charge.
But, in Emery's mind, there is still plenty that needs changing.
Those close to the Spaniard suggest that the former Paris Saint-Germain boss is not completely satisfied with the make-up of his squad. Should this impressive start to his reign continue, Emery is expected to use his first-season success as leverage to exert greater influence on the club's transfer policy.
Arsenal have worked hard to adopt a more European approach to deals, whereby targets are identified by a director of football. Will the club be willing to allow Emery a greater say in the future as he looks to reshape his squad?
That is not to say Emery isn't committed to extracting the best out of the players currently at his disposal. He requests regular updates from staff at the club's Hale End academy as he looks towards the next generation.
It will be interesting to see how Emery's influence grows at the Emirates, whether he is permitted a greater level of control and can build a Wenger-style legacy.
Those, however, are questions for the future. Right now, Arsenal's players are being worked harder than they have been for years.
It is no coincidence that they are enjoying their best run for years, too.
Emery is a stickler for statistics. Sat with his backroom team at the club's training complex, the Arsenal manager will go through data from every match with a fine-tooth comb.He knows who has put a shift in and, more pertinently, who hasn't. If the data pinpoints a player for a lack of effort, Emery is quickly on his case.
He will not avoid confrontation. If he feels a player needs a dressing down he will go about it with the minimum of fuss.
No one is safe. Ozil and Aaron Ramsey — two of Arsenal's most influential stars — have both been substituted for not pulling their weight during games this season.
Wenger, at least during his final years at Arsenal, would also spend ample time studying post-match statistics.
He, too, knew who was shirking. But herein lies one of the most telling difference between the two bosses: Wenger was always reluctant to ruffle feathers. Certain players were always safe in the knowledge that they would play the next game no matter how they had performed in the previous one.
In Emery, however, Arsenal have a manager who is prepared to tell players how it is, no matter how high their profile or reputation.