Mikel Arteta says Arsenal could be about to enjoy a successful season after breezing to a 3-0 victory on Sunday over English Premier League champions Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Goals from Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud meant Arsenal followed up May’s FA Cup final triumph over Hull City with another Wembley Stadium win to clinch the first silverware available in the 2014/15 season.
Arteta played alongside summer recruits Alexis Sanchez and Calum Chambers and thinks Arsenal are looking in good shape before next week’s Premier League opener against Crystal Palace.
Asked if he thinks the London club could challenge for further honours, he said: "I hope so. I think we're looking very good, with some very good signings, so that's only going to strengthen the team.
“We worked really hard in pre-season and hopefully we’re ready to start. When you look at the bench and the options we have to change the game, as I said, I hope it’s going to be a good season. We ended last season well with the FA Cup, so hopefully we’ll continue well.
“In the first half, we had 20 or 25 minutes where we were outstanding and we passed the ball around very quickly and looked a threat every time.
“We’ve got pace up front now and it makes a big difference so we’re really happy to get another trophy.”
Midfielder Ramsey, who doubled Arsenal’s advantage over City with a goal shortly before half time, said Arsenal have learned how to avoid suffering repeats of last season’s humbling losses to City (6-3) and Liverpool (5-1).
“In games last season, we’ve been guilty of conceding on, and it’s difficult enough to play against these teams, let alone going one or two goals down in the first minutes,” said the Welshman.
“It’s important just to stay in the game, to stay patient and for them to open up and us to capitalise on that. The team has a good team spirit and we all get along really well now and everybody wants to work hard for each other.
“The thing we need to improve on is the big games, so hopefully, we’ve learned our lesson and we can go into this season and give it a really good go.”
Manager Arsene Wenger praised his players for sticking together when City rallied after the break and acknowledged the fact that his first-team squad is looking stronger than it has for some time.
“I would say overall, it was a united team performance and it was a first half of quality, togetherness and good movement,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to compare, but yeah, in the last two years I’ve been speaking about big transfers. In the years before that we always lost big transfers, so [the signing spree] has now strengthened the squad.”
City manager Manuel Pellegrini is eager to push through the signing of defender Eliaquim Mangala from Porto before the league season begins at Newcastle on Saturday.
“Maybe we need some papers, but we continue our interest in the player who wants to come, so we’ll see what happens,” he said.
“We need to demonstrate from the beginning why we want to title this year and repeat last year. We have a chance to do it and we have a good squad.”
Pellegrini also refused to offer England goalkeeper Joe Hart guarantees over his No 1 status after he sat out the defeat as an unused substitute.
“All the 22 players that we have in our squad must demonstrate who is No 1 in all the positions,” Pellegrini said. “The goalkeeper and the other positions of the team are exactly the same.
“Joe finished last season playing very well. We’ll see next Sunday which 11 starts against Newcastle [in their Premier League opener]. It doesn’t matter if they’re English players, American players, Spanish players. For me, it’s exactly the same. It was not the day today to make pressure for different players. It was one game more for pre-season.”
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