MX23RW : Friday, February 7 07:01:23| >> :120:41841:41841:

Arsene Wenger urges Arsenal players to be "as sharp as possible"

Arsene Wenger says that his Arsenal players need to be "as sharp as possible" for the start of the new season.

Arsene Wenger has outlined his fitness plans for the team ahead of their opening Premier League match against Liverpool next month.

The Gunners will travel to France, the United States, Norway and Sweden for pre-season training and friendlies.

The new season will kick off against Liverpool at the Emirates for Arsenal on August 14, and Wenger wants his men to be at optimum fitness.

"[We want the players] to be as sharp as possible," Wenger told the club's official website. "Look at the schedule we have, it is a very difficult schedule and [we must] focus on the players who are here because they are certainly the players who will start the season.

"We have a nice variety [to our pre-season schedule]. I wanted a game before we travelled to the States. After three weeks of training I think we need a game and in the States will be interesting as well.

"We had a good experience in New York [in 2014] and after that we travel to [Scandinavia] and we finish with Man City just before the championship starts. Let's not forget that we play Liverpool and Leicester in the first two games so we have to be ready physically and fitness-wise."

Arsenal's first pre-season friendly will be against Lens on July 22.

ID:276845: cacheID:276845:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2014:
Written by
Danielle Joynson
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Gonzalo Higuain of Napoli celebrates after scoring goal 1-0 during the Serie A match between SSC Napoli and FC Internazionale Milano at Stadio San Paolo on November 30, 2015 in Naples, Italy.
Read Next:
Napoli 'want £80m for Gonzalo Higuain'
>
Read more about Arsene Wenger Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool23175156213556
2Arsenal24148249222750
3Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest24145540271347
4Chelsea24127547311643
5Manchester CityMan City24125748351341
6Newcastle UnitedNewcastle24125742291341
7Bournemouth24117641281340
8Aston Villa2410773437-337
9Fulham249963632436
10Brentford24103114342133
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton248973539-433
12Crystal Palace247982830-230
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd2485112834-629
14Tottenham HotspurSpurs24831348371127
15West Ham UnitedWest Ham2476112946-1727
16Everton236892328-526
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves2454153452-1819
18Leicester CityLeicester2445152553-2817
19Ipswich TownIpswich2437142249-2716
20Southampton2423191854-369


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!