Beating Chelsea again can help Arsenal prevent league woes, says Danny Welbeck

Welbeck lifted the FA Cup with Arsenal back in May
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
James Olley4 August 2017

Danny Welbeck has urged Arsenal to continue the momentum created by last season’s FA Cup success against Chelsea by beating the same opposition in Sunday’s Community Shield.

The Gunners won nine of their last ten matches in all competitions, climaxing with a Wembley victory which denied Antonio Conte a Double in his first season in charge of the Blues.

Arsenal finished 18 points behind Chelsea in last season’s Premier League and lost 3-0 in Asia during a pre-season friendly last month, but Welbeck believes registering another win over their London rivals on Sunday will help ensure the new campaign begins on a high.

"Everybody at the club was disappointed with the way we fell away from the top in the league and we know we should have done much better than that," said Welbeck.

"But to win the FA Cup on the last day of the season gave all of us a bit of light, a bit of positivity, and it was important to end the season that way. It was much needed.

"There was a lot of pressure on us. The way the season had gone, particularly with the way the League title had gone, there was huge pressure on us.

"We knew we should have been doing much better, but we had to stick together as a group and thankfully it all came together in the final. As a group, and as a club, we deserved that.

"Coming into this game, it’s one we all want to win and we’ll treat it as importantly as any other match. A win would maintain the strong end we had to last season, which is important."

Arsenal’s record 13th FA Cup success was enough to earn manager Arsene Wenger a new two-year contract as tangible return for a revival instigated by switching to a 3-4-2-1 system in mid-March.

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Chelsea, FA Cup Final | 27/05/2017

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Wenger has continued with the same shape during pre-season this summer and Welbeck, who has suffered two serious knee injuries since joining Arsenal from Manchester United in 2014, added: "The boss has been nothing but brilliant since I came here.

"I’ve had some difficult times being out of action, twice, and he has always given me advice and shown faith in me. I was really pleased when it was announced he was staying.

"The new system enabled us to get behind opposing defences a bit more and so it worked really well for me. We can now play in a number of formations and they all suit me, to be honest. The main thing for me is that I’m on that pitch; I need to be playing!"

Read the full interview with Welbeck, alongside features from Francis Coquelin, Theo Walcott, Arsene Wenger, Antonio Conte, Willian, Gary Cahill and Thibaut Courtois in the official programme for the 2017 FA Community Shield. Available at Wembley Stadium on Sunday and priced at £5.