Kieran Gibbs has said that Arsenal are no longer physically or mentally fragile as the team prepare to challenge Chelsea and Manchester City for the Premier League title.
The left-back who is a regular inclusion in Roy Hodgson’s England squad but cannot always get into Arsène Wenger’s first team, is also keen to show he has the personal strength to be a key man for Arsenal this season.
Gibbs points to Arsenal’s ability to retain the FA Cup in May and their heavy defeat of Manchester City in last season’s Community Shield as examples of how the north London side has already toughened up.
Speaking about the team’s perceived fragility, on the club’s pre-season trip to Singapore, he claimed: “I think it’s already changed. Although people don’t see it like that, technically we’ve won three trophies in the last two seasons and there’s been a shift mentally in the team that will help us.
“What’s key is that we continue the form, continue the belief that we’ve shown over the last two years. I think the team has grown, if we can keep everyone fit, we can really aim for the league.”
Gibbs, 25, joined Arsenal in 2004, when the Wimbledon academy disbanded amid the club’s move to Milton Keynes, and broke into the senior ranks three years later.
His early career was blighted by injuries, but he has grown stronger and more physically reliable in recent years, becoming a regular starter after Gaël Clichy left the club for Manchester City, only to lose his place to Nacho Monreal in the latter stages of last season.
He did not start in the FA Cup final and featured in only seven Premier League matches from the turn of the year, but he was deemed to be still playing well enough for Roy Hodgson to select him for the June internationals against Italy and Slovenia.
Now he is hoping he can impress Wenger enough to be a key man again in the forthcoming season and dismissed any talk he might be unsettled at the club. He simply said: “I want to play. I like playing for the club.”
Gibbs knows there is little time to remind Wenger what he can do. Arsenal play Everton on Friday in the final of the Asia Trophy, before they host the two-match Emirates Cup over the last weekend of July. Chelsea are Arsenal’s opponents in the Community Shield at the start of August.
“Pre-season is vital, especially this season,” continued Gibbs. “It starts in less than a month. We have these two games and two more before the Community Shield. We haven’t really got time for friendlies so we’ve got to get into a competitive mentality as fast as possible.”
