Wenger: Flawless pre-season boosts Arsenal for title challenge

The Gunners have won four out of four friendlies this summer as they prepare to take on Chelsea in the Community Shield and the manager hopes to harness the confidence gained

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is hopeful of converting his side's 100 per cent pre-season record into competitive results.

The Gunners head into Sunday's Community Shield encounter with Chelsea after flawless friendly form, winning all four of their games this summer and scoring 14 goals in the process.

And the Frenchman wants to take that confidence into the Premier League, telling the club's official website: "We had a good preparation and a good preparation brings confidence.

"Of course confidence is important but competition demands performance. It's a good basis to have a good confidence level in the preparation.

"If you have the choice, when you prepare a team you want a good pre-season. It doesn't give you a guarantee that you start strong in the competition but it's still better for the confidence and the belief of the group.

"Then, when it comes down to points, you add that little bit of extra commitment that is demanded in games."

Wenger concedes that, while every club aim to improve their squads over the summer, reigning champions Chelsea start at an advantage as Arsenal look to close the gap.

"We want to improve," he added. "We know we will be better and we work very hard to better. It's difficult to know how much better our opponents will be. Everybody tries to be better.

"Let's not forget that Chelsea won the Premier League with a comfortable distance last year so we have to make our way up. There was still a gap between them and the others but the desire is to improve and to move up there to fight for the championship.

"We know that many teams will be in that position. Let's start well and try to give our best."