Daily Star

IT’S TOUGH AT THE TOP SAYS GUNNERS BOSS

- By PAUL BROWN

ARSENE WENGER claims Chelsea will find it tough to hit the heights of last season – and Arsenal are ready to pounce.

The two teams meet tomorrow in the Community Shield at Wembley in a rematch of the FA Cup Final when the Gunners deprived Chelsea of the Double.

Wenger’s side finished miles behind the Blues in the title race, missing out on the Champions League and ending up in the Europa League.

But he believes Chelsea will struggle to cope with the demands of Champions League football, with last season, when they won 13 in a row, proving a one-off.

Consistent

Wenger said: “Last year Chelsea did not play in the European Cup and they were a bit more consistent in the Premier League.

“Overall in the final we have shown that the gap was not as high maybe. We have to show that again on Sunday.

“After that, we made 75 points, which was basically four more than the year before when we finished second.

“So it looks like Chelsea has taken advantage of the fact that all the other teams were less consistent.

“I expect them to fight for the championsh­ip again. Will they make as many points? I don’t know. But they will fight, certainly, for the championsh­ip again.

“You could expect that some teams will be stronger as well and take points from them. When you have made 75 points, your target is to get 10 points more. And with 10 points more, you are in there.”

Chelsea have made signings but have also let several players leave.

And they are looking for three more players to add to a squad which won’t be at full strength tomorrow because Eden Hazard and Tiemoue Bakayoko are injured and Alvaro Morata not fully fit.

Wenger also defended his own record last season and insisted he will not prioritise winning the Europa League over a top-four finish.

He said: “You cannot go into the season and think that.

“I was not in favour of that, because I think at some stage it can influence the championsh­ip.”

The Frenchman also believes the Gunners could finish with less points than last season and still end up in the Champions League.

He added: “It’s difficult to predict what number of points will get you in this season. Maybe with 67, you are in there. You don’t know.

“Last season was the first time that 75 points doesn’t get you in the Champions League.”

 ??  ?? DON’T BLOW IT: Arsene Wenger puts defender Shkodran Mustafi through his paces
DON’T BLOW IT: Arsene Wenger puts defender Shkodran Mustafi through his paces

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