Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal’s Community Shield victory against Chelsea helped remove a “mental block” against their rivals.
The Gunners retained the trophy at Wembley in August thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s solo goal, their first win against the Blues in nine attempts.
It was also Wenger’s first victory against Jose Mourinho, and he is confident his side can secure another positive result this weekend.
"It can sometimes be a mental block for the players or the team when they do not win against certain teams"
Arsene Wenger
“For me, what is important is that Arsenal win games,” he said. “It can sometimes be a mental block for the players or the team when they do not win against certain teams. On that front it was good [to win the Community Shield].
“What you expect from these kinds of games is [that they are] always high intensity, full commitment and of course you want to prepare for that and play with a full focus.
“For us it’s a big game. Let’s not forget it’s the start of the season and only five games have been played. We know our position at the end of the season will depend on how well we do in the big games.
“I do not think too much about where Chelsea stand in the league at the moment. I focus more on us performing well, with full power.”
Petr Cech returns to Stamford Bridge for the first time on Saturday, and while Wenger believes he will have an effect, he says the overall team display is of more importance.
“He will give a little bit of extra [insight], yes,” the manager said. “There is no big secret, but on the day you have to perform at your best and perform together.
“Our individual performances will be more important than what he knows. There is no massive secret in that.”
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