Kieran Gibbs believes Arsenal's strong finish to the 2012/13 season will reap long-term benefits.
Arsene Wenger's side won eight of their last 10 Premier League games of the campaign to ensure a top-four finish and a subsequent Champions League qualifier in August.
Gibbs feels the resilience the Gunners displayed since the turn of the year will make them stronger in the long run.
"The dramatic finale to the season has made us even stronger"
Kieran Gibbs
"We were a new-look side, with new signings that had to come in and step up," he told the Official Arsenal Magazine. "It is never easy to come straight into the Premier League and perform as some of our players have.
"In the end, there was a combination of realising what we wanted from the season and of the players getting to know each other more. As time went on, we started to gel as a team. That was important and it puts us in good stead for next term.
"The dramatic finale to the season has made us even stronger, and we will be going into the new one head on."
Arsenal had to win their final game of the season at Newcastle United to secure a top-four place and Laurent Koscielny's second-half volley sealed all three points. Gibbs feels that performance typified the team's mental strength.
Read the interview with Kieran and more in the latest edition
“When there was a bit of stoppage time, we heard that [Tottenham] had scored so we knew it was important to get the job done and win the game," he said. "We didn’t go there to focus on Tottenham anyway - it was about us.
“The game was a test of the character that I think we showed throughout the season, and in the end we deserved to come away with the win.”
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