Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted that the balance of his side has let them down at times this season.
The Gunners currently sit sixth in the Premier League table following a run of just one win in their last six games, raising familiar questions about whether Wenger's current crop of players have the character to compete with the best teams in the league throughout an entire campaign.
However, the Frenchman believes that it is more down to defensive frailties than character, pinpointing back-to-back defeats against Everton and Manchester City in December when his side squandered leads to lose 2-1 on both occasions as the beginning of their problems.
"It is a strange season because it just looked like it escaped from us in moments. Not for a lot. But every time, for a fraction, it went the other way. That is why it is very difficult. It started at Everton where we were 1-0 up. At City we were 1-0 up. And things went just against us and we could not respond," he told the club's official website.
"Our offensive numbers are good. Our defensive numbers are less convincing. And that is not down to the defenders only. It is down to the balance of the team between going forward and defending. But it is true that our offensive numbers are quite convincing. I am still convinced they have the right character, and it's a good moment to show it.
"As well, the self-esteem of a group is not set in stone. It's linked as well with the last results. The confidence, when linked with the last results, drops, but where the character comes in is the desire to fight against it and to fight together. And the natural tendency is to go a little bit into your shell and think a little bit more about you and not about the group."
Arsenal currently sit seven points adrift of the Champions League places, although they do have a game in hand over fourth-placed Manchester City.
Barney Corkhill
