Arsenal and former Germany international Per Mertesacker has claimed that the North London club are more than capable of thwarting Chelsea and other rivals to Premier League glory, as the club possesses a ‘good base’ to build upon.
The Gunners collected more points during the Premier League campaign than any other team after the turn of the year, but inconsistency in the early stages of the season meant that the club fell too far behind runaway winners Chelsea.
With fitness and consistency integral components in a 38-game campaign as well as domestic and European competitions, Mertesacker believes that possessing a fully fit squad, on top of having the belief to win the biggest and toughest competitions are the factors that can help Arsenal to either triumph or be trumped by their competitors.
Speaking to Arsenal Player, Mertesacker said: “We have a good structure and a good base.
“We’ll try to build on that. We have a good squad, we won’t lose key players, so that’s good consistency.
“The squad will be in a good mood and in good fitness. We have to be because there are plenty of competitors for the title.
“We need to be at our best. We’ve shown in the cup that we can be consistent for six games. We want to extend that and show that we are real title contenders from the start, not only in the second half of the season.
“We want to be ready right from the start and not getting as many injuries as last season would be lovely and good for us.
“The belief is still there – we always had a certain belief in ourselves – and to win trophies back to back is something special, but let’s add that little extra to be a competitor for the whole season.”
Arsenal begin their Premier League campaign on August 9th, at home to London rivals West Ham United.
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