Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger believes the strength of competition in the Premier League means his side cannot afford another false start if they are to challenge for the title.

Arsenal have lost three of their last four opening games, with last term’s 4-3 defeat at home to Liverpool setting the tone for a campaign in which they missed out on Champions League qualification for the first time since 1997.

Wenger’s men launch the new campaign at home to Leicester City on Friday and he urged his players to harness the momentum from a promising pre-season that culminated in victory over Chelsea in Sunday’s Community Shield.

“We want to find a good balance between the confidence we can get out of these games and the urgency that every Premiership game demands,” he told reporters at Wembley.

“We had some bad starts in the last four years in the first game of the Premiership. But we had the intensity in our preparation games that is needed to be ready so let’s go into the Premiership with the same discipline, the same spirit, and see where we can go.”

He added, “If you look at the Premiership, you have seven, eight teams who will say, ‘We can win the Premier League.’ That makes it very interesting.”

Arsenal beat Chelsea 4-1 on penalties to win the Community Shield for the third time in four years after the game finished 1-1. Arsenal were without Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil and Aaron Ramsey, with the former still regaining fitness after the Confederations Cup and the two other players nursing minor injuries.

Wenger said Ozil had a “little chance” of playing against Leicester after taking a kick on the ankle in training and said Ramsey was in a similar position as he works to overcome a “little calf problem”. Wenger also said there was “nothing bad” about the injury sustained by club captain Per Mertesacker, who had to come off after being accidentally caught in the face by Gary Cahill’s elbow.

Mertesacker’s replacement, new Bosnian defender Sead Kolasinac, impressed Arsenal’s fans with a series of shuddering challenges before cancelling out Victor Moses’s opener with a headed 81st-minute equaliser.

Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal’s club-record £46.5 million (Rs 387 crore) signing from Lyon, had a more low-key debut, but Wenger was encouraged by his performance.

“Lacazette is stronger every week,” said Wenger of the France international, who hit the post midway through the first half. “Today is the first time where you see that physically he’s ready. He still needs to adapt to the intensity of the game. In the first half he had very interesting movements. I believe he’ll become stronger and stronger.”

‘We want to be united’

Wenger also pleaded with Arsenal fans to stay united. After spending much of last season under fire from supporters frustrated by Arsenal’s travails, the Gunners boss hopes the new campaign is far less turbulent affair.

Despite winning the FA Cup at the end of last term, Wenger’s decision to sign a new contract proved a polarising move among the Arsenal faithful, who remain angered by their team’s failure to qualify for this season’s Champions League.

Wenger has already been subjected to a fan invading the pitch in an attempt to abuse him during a pre-season friendly and, against that troubled backdrop, the Frenchman was relieved to start the new season with a morale-boosting win over champions Chelsea at Wembley.

“I would like they stand behind the team as we might go through some very good periods and some not so good periods,” he said. “We want to be united and together throughout the season. Every game is a battle in the Premier League, like today. It is a dream to make the fans happy, a difficult dream but we try hard.”

Wenger has now won the Community Shield seven times, but it is seven years since Manchester United became the last winners of the prestigious friendly to go on to lift the Premier League trophy.