Wenger hails Bould impact

The Gunners have yet to concede a goal in their opening three games, and registered their first win at Liverpool with goals from northern summer signings Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla.

Captain Thomas Vermaelen feels a lot of the Gunners' new-found defensive solidarity is down to the work put in by former centre-half Bould, who joined Wenger's first-team coaching staff after the retirement of Pat Rice.

Wenger believes signs are positive for the bigger challenges which lie ahead.

Speaking at the UEFA elite club coaches forum in Nyon, Switzerland, the Arsenal manager said: "We have played two teams who didn't really attack, but he [Bould] is doing a good job.

"We continue our training regime. He has taken over from Pat Rice for the defensive job where he is doing very well.

"Will we finish with the best defence in the league? I hope so."

Wenger, however, maintained it would not be a case of the days of '1-0 to the Arsenal' once again.

He added: "No, no, we want to score goals, but Steve Bould is doing very well and I am confident we have a good defensive record at the end of the season."

Podolski was deployed up front alongside fellow northern summer signing Olivier Giroud at Anfield, where Cazorla again caught the eye with an all-action display.

The Germany international, signed from Cologne in a reported £11 million ($17.04 million) deal, feels it is a combination which can prove electric.

"I like Arsenal's style of football and Santi's as well - I love his style of football, with one or two touches," he said.

"We play [well] together and you could see it here - he passed for me for the first goal, I passed to him for the second goal.

"But we are only three matches in. We have 35 matches more so we must keep going."

Podolski added: "At Arsenal, I not only play on the line, but I can go in the middle and play with Santi and Abou Diaby and Mikel Arteta.

"This is my style of football. I like this, but it is not only about one match - I want to play more of these matches."