Arsenal forward Marouane Chamakh believes his second season in English football should be easier than his first.
Moroccan settled in English football
Arsenal forward Marouane Chamakh believes his second season in English football should be easier than his first.
The Morocco international joined on a free transfer from Bordeaux last summer and he made a good early impression in the Premier League.
However, his form tailed off and he ended the campaign behind fit-again Robin van Persie as Arsene Wenger's first-choice striker.
Chamakh has acknowledged he is now more familiar with his team-mates and surroundings and that should help him perform even better.
"No, I think it'll in fact be easier," he told the club's
official website ahead of his second season of top-flight football in England.
"I understand both the football and the group better, and I now have many friends in this team. So I aim to keep improving and to make a big contribution.
"Your first pre-season is always difficult, you have to accustom yourself to new training and make new friends, but we're all together and everything looks fine."
Home soil
Chamakh and his team-mates are back on home soil this weekend for the Emirates Cup after a pre-season tour that took in Malaysia, China and Germany. The trip to Asia in particular was an eye-opener for the striker.
"I think it was a good, new experience for the entire squad," he continued.
"It was surprising to see the number of fans Arsenal have over there and I think it proved to us what a big club this is - people across the world demand that you do well. For us it was good to spend time in a different culture, while the supporters could watch us in matches and training, and see a lot of the club.
"Germany was a bit different. There were fewer supporters around and the training was harder both for us and the staff. But we played a good match against Cologne and had some great facilities there, so we're happy with how it has gone."
