For weeks, everyone has been wondering if Arsenal's strong 2014 2015, FA Cup victory, and big influx of new talent could mark the football club as a potential frontrunner for the 2015 2016 Premier League season. Now, as Arsenal win FA Community Shield 2015, beating EPL Champions Chelsea, the Gunners are almost undisputable as the team to watch during the forthcoming soccer season.
Arsenal's Renaissance
Granted, Arsenal won the Community Shield last year too. The match, which pits the champions of the previous season's Premier League against the reigning holders of the FA Cup, is seen as the inaugural event of a brand new season. Arsenal won the game in 2014, topping 2013 2014 Premier League champs Manchester City 3-0 in front of more than 70,000 people at Wembley Stadium.
The victory didn't ultimately predict a win for the Gunners in the Premier League-they finished third-but it was a part of an increasingly impressive renaissance for the London club. The 2014 2015 season also saw the Gunners winning a second straight FA Cup (and a record 12th title in the tournament), as well as reaching the Champions League round of 16 for the fifth year running.
A London Battle
Sunday's FA Community Shield match, in addition to serving as the commencement of a new football season in England, also happened to serve as a battle of crosstown rivals. Considering the fact that both Arsenal and Chelsea are London clubs, and that Wembley Stadium is located in London, it was hardly surprising that this year's crowd at the FA Community Shield match-an audience of more than 85,000 football fans-was notably larger than last year's Arsenal-Manchester City match.
Ultimately, it was the fans in the Arsenal home shirt 2015 2016 who left Wembley happy. Though Chelsea has traditionally been a tough rival for the Gunners to overcome (Arsenal hasn't won a head-to-head match against their London contemporaries since 2011), Sunday's match seemed to mark a changing of dynamic between the two soccer clubs. The game was low-scoring-the Gunners won 1-0-but the momentum was on Arsenal's side for almost the entirety of the match.
Indeed, it only took Arsenal 24 minutes to take the lead. Midway through the first half, Theo Walcott tipped the ball to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who dodged defenders and snaked the ball past Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois for an early lead.
The Test of the Goalkeepers
It's possible that Courtois was feeling a bit more nervous than usual in Sunday's football match, and you couldn't blame him. Across the field, guarding the Arsenal net, was Petr Cech, who swapped the Chelsea 
Blues for the Arsenal home shirt 2015 2016 this summer on a £10 million transfer.
Courtois replaced Cech as Chelsea's number one goalkeeper last season-despite the fact that Cech had just won his third Premier League Golden Glove for Chelsea during the 2013 2014 season. Fans were split on whether or not the decision was the right one, though Courtois, who is currently 23 years old, seemed like the safer bet for the long term. Cech, by comparison, is 10 years older.
Cech certainly wasn't showing his age at the FA Community Shield match, though. While Chelsea beat Arsenal in terms of possession, and while both clubs had similar stats for shots on goal, it was Cech who managed a clean sheet. The former Chelsea goalkeeper made a few impressive saves throughout the game, too, blocking out a free kick from Oscar, and blocking several on-target crosses to keep the Gunners in the lead as the match raced toward a frantic conclusion.
The win gives Arsenal their 14th FA Community Shield-just one fewer than Liverpool, though still a ways off the Manchester United record of 20. Is the victory a predictor of greater success to come for the Gunners? Could this year see the London club claim their first Premier League title since 2004? At Soccer Box, we want to hear your thoughts and predictions! Find us on social media to discuss Arsenal's chances this season, or pick up a new Arsenal shirt 2015 2016 from our store to support the squad. You can find Soccer Box online on Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and other popular social networks.
