Arsene Wenger feels Arsenal are at the start of a new cycle in the club's history after bringing in a group of new recruits he says they "couldn't survive without".
The Gunners boss has endured a harsh summer, in which the club lost Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, before witnessing his side crumble at the hands of reigning Premier League champions Manchester United in an 8-2 defeat. However, after bringing in five new players on transfer deadline day and eking out a 1-0 win over Swansea last weekend, Wenger believes his side are now able to march into a new era.
"We were a team on the up and that was not rewarded last year because we were a bit hungry to go for all four trophies. But the basic quality was there and we were certainly very close to winning last year.
"We were suddenly hit by major departures that were not planned so we had to review a little bit just with the injuries we had. We couldn't survive without buying players and the players available had a bit more experience than what we usually do.
"It starts again because we have taken five players, but we have invested as well.
"Our highest investment has been in Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, a young player. We have the work permit for Ryo Miyaichi - we will not give up on our youth policy," he said.
Arsenal will head to bottom club Blackburn on Saturday boosted by the return of duo Alex Song and Gervinho from their domestic three-match bans.
Wenger understands the challenges ahead, as he aims to guide the club back into the top four. The first step, he says, was taken with their first win of the season as the Gunners bounced back from their Old Trafford "humiliation".
Wenger said of the United defeat: "Emotionally it was very hard to take, but the football significance of a big result is very small.
"It is a humiliation, but apart from that, when I have been involved in a game when we have beaten a team by six or seven, they have done well afterwards, also we have lost some big games as well and then did well after.
"The most difficult is to show consistency, in any sport, and we have managed to do that above and beyond expectations and nobody else has done better than us on the consistency level."
On a personal level, Wenger concedes his performance throughout this testing season will be minutely monitored by supporters and pundits alike. It is a situation the Frenchman has learned to become at ease with.
"I judge myself by giving my best of intelligence, experience and commitment to the club and after I let other people judge what I do.
"At the end of the day you know yourself at the end of the season whether you took the maximum out of the team and their potential," he said.
The Arsenal manager, though, accepts patience is very much a virtue in the current footballing climate.
Asked how long he felt the club's new cycle would be given to deliver success, Wenger quipped: "In the modern society - zero days."
Posted By ESPNsoccernet staff
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