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| Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain believes Arsenal can challenge for the title this season |
ALEX OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN believes Arsenal are at long last ready to take on the top teams in the high pressure games.
The England winger also hit back at Roy Keane's "selfies and six packs" jibes at the weekend - when the former Manchester United player claimed Arsenal's players spend far too much time showing off their washboard stomachs on social media.
Oxlade-Chamberlain is one of Arsenal's regulars on Twitter and Instagram, along with Jack Wilshere, Theo Walcott and Aaron Ramsey.
But the forward, whose glorious left-footed strike into the top corner won Arsenal the Community Shield against Chelsea at Wembley on Sunday - insists that this time around, the Gunners are deadly serious.
Last season, Arsenal won just one of their six clashes with the other teams who finished in the top four, and lost two. Chelsea, by contrast, did not lose a single game in the league against their rivals.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, though, believes Arsenal's excellent form in the second half of last season, when they lost just twice after New Years' Day and won the FA Cup for the second season running, is another indicator of their progress
"It's a new era, isn't it? We're serious about winning trophies," said Oxlade-Chamberlain, 21. "Personally, and I can speak for the rest of the squad, we've been serious every single year I've been at the club about winning trophies. You can see that on the pitch when we're playing.
"But people don't see when we lose and go through tough times how upset and disappointed we are as players.
"We've always wanted to win trophies, and in the last years we've won a few. But this season we want to go that one better."
And even though it was the Community Shield, Oxlade-Chamberlain believes that Arsenal's win at Wembley is a further indicator of how much further they have developed.
"Ever since I've been at Arsenal we've had numerous quality players and the squad had been very strong. But it just seemed that in the big games we came up short, and you wonder why," he said.
"The mentality going into those games was definitely a big thing. But since I've been here we've steadily got better at that, especially last year.
"A game like the one we just had against Chelsea is always important to win against a great side and come away with some silverware.
"I believe it's the most confident we've been as a squad since I've been here. We've all been together a good number of years, we've shared two consecutive successes in the FA Cup and we've had the highs from that. That helps.
"Beating Chelsea does help the confidence, belief and faith going into the next fixture against them. Against any of the teams at the top of the table, that helps - but it is a long season and it is very early doors.
"As a team we've suffered some upsets, but we've grown and learned from that.
"The addition of Petr Cech will certainly help us, he's a quality player but he is an individual and a character that has won things. That's another one with the winning mentality getting in our squad, and that can only help us going forward."
Oxlade-Chamberlain also believes it is a huge season for him personally after groin and knee injuries plagued his last two seasons. But he has come back strongly in pre-season this summer and looks strong.
He said: "At the moment I feel good. You know what football is like - you can never speak too soon so I take each game as it comes.
"I'm putting in the work off the pitch and fitness is one of the most important things in the game, it gives you the platform and allows you to do the things you want to do.
"That is always important so fingers crossed I have better luck this season. Like I said, I am doing the work so hopefully that will stand me in good stead."
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