Arsene Wenger has put Arsenal's heavy friendly defeat to Chelsea down to his players looking "a bit jaded' at the end of their pre-season tour.
The Gunners saw their perfect summer record come to an end at the hands of their domestic rivals, falling to a 3-0 loss at the Bird's Nest Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Arsenal have travelled thousands of miles over the past fortnight, playing twice in Sydney and once in Shanghai prior to this weekend's meeting with Chelsea in Beijing, which Wenger believes ultimately took its toll on his squad.
"It was the last day of our tour and it was quite long and we looked a bit jaded. It was the impact of heat and games," he told reporters.
"I think the impact is small, but we are tired because we worked hard. It is normal that the players are a bit tired after two weeks of intense preparation.
"This week we had two intense games as well. It is better to have played two big teams and see the potential of the squad."
Arsenal now return home for friendlies against Benfica and Sevilla in the Emirates Cup next weekend, before facing Chelsea again in the Community Shield on August 6.
Daniel Lewis
