Arsenal midfielder Granit Xhaka has said that he is "convinced" that his side will finish in the top four of the Premier League with a perfect end to the season.
The Gunners kept their Champions League hopes alive with a 2-0 victory over fellow top-four hopefuls Manchester United on Sunday, with Xhaka scoring the opening goal to set his side on their way to three crucial points.
Xhaka's debut season in English football has been criticised by many following his big-money arrival from Borussia Monchengladbach, particularly due to his disciplinary record, but the Switzerland international has vowed that he will not change his playing style.
"In football you get criticised if you are sent off. It's my style of play and nobody can make me change that. Even if I get another red card, then that happens. You become cleverer, maybe look more and since my red card, I think things have improved," he told reporters.
"It's not like I played my first football match in England. For me football is pretty much the same everywhere, the ball is round, but maybe tactically things are different than at other clubs I've played for. I think in general it was a good performance from us. When everything comes together like that, you look good on a personal level too.
"I'm really satisfied with my performance and the performance of the team, which is most important. I didn't sign here for five years [to not improve as a player]. This is a top club, a great club.
"We're having a season where things have been a bit more difficult but I'm convinced that in the coming years we can show another side. We always have hope [of finishing in the top four] - hope dies last. It's up to us, we need some luck along the way, but if we win the next four games, I'm convinced that we can do it."
Arsenal, who are now six points off the top four with a game in hand, face Southampton, Stoke, Sunderland and Everton in their final four league games of the campaign.
Barney Corkhill
