The Gunners begin their quest for a Premier League trophy with a trip to St. James Park (Newcastle) on Saturday, before hosting Udinese at the Emirates three days later, in what is clearly the first half of a possible group stage appearance in the Champions League this season. The 25-year-old center back assured the club's supporters of the players commitment to the Arsenal cause, and maintained that they are prepared to do whatever it takes to start the 2011/2012 campaign on a bright note.
The defender stated in unequivocal terms that the team's fitness level is high, and this invariably refers to speedy recovery for his friends, who are currently using the physio's manual: “We have worked hard and I feel we are ready for it because the fitness is good in the team and we feel good,” Vermaelen told the Official Arsenal Magazine.
“We have had a good pre-season over the past few weeks. In pre-season, the most important thing is training hard and getting your fitness back.
“We worked really hard in Germany, as hard as we did in Austria, so that was a tough week for us to get our fitness back. I think that week was really important and we were very pleased with that.”
