Arsene Wenger has urged Arsenal to get their Premier League season off to a fast start.
The Gunners suffered an inconsistent first half of the campaign last season but finished in third after a much-improved second half.
But they were 12 points adrift of eventual champions Chelsea, and Wenger knows they must start purposefully if they are to challenge for the title this time around.
"It was the fact they started strong and we didn't," The Mirror quoted Wenger as saying.
"They were more stable than us defensively, especially at the start of the season.
"After six games, we were 11 points behind Chelsea. We finished 12 points behind Chelsea. That means after six games the decision was made.
"That is what they had -- a strong start while we had a slow start."
The Frenchman said there had been reasons for that slow start, including the late return of Germany World Cup winners Per Mertesacker and Mesut Ozil and injuries to Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud.
But he stressed: "This season it is different."