Garth Crooks says although Arsenal has been winning matches in recent weeks, their performances haven’t been convincing.

Mikel Arteta’s team has suffered a slump in the last five matches and had three losses and two wins from those fixtures.

Before losing to Liverpool, they had been on a ten-game unbeaten run and had looked impressive.

But Crooks isn’t getting carried away and after naming Gabriel Magalhaes in his Premier League team of the week, he claimed Arsenal wasn’t even at their best when they beat Southampton 3-0 at the weekend.

He writes on the BBC: “Arsenal weren’t at their best for much of the first half against Southampton but I don’t think they have been at their best at any point this season. In fact, how they are sixth in the table is a mystery to me.

“Ever since they beat Spurs in the north London derby they seem to be grinding out games without playing particularly well. One of the reasons they have continued to improve under Mikel Arteta is the performances of Gabriel. Whenever the Brazilian is available, Arsenal look solid at the back and also a threat in attack.”

Just Arsenal Opinion

We know this Arsenal team can perform much better than it is doing now, but what counts in football is the result.

There have been matches where we have been the better team, but have still lost the game.

As Arteta looks to get the club back inside the top four, the focus should be on winning matches even on days when we play badly. That is a recipe for success.

FULL POST-SOUTHAMPTON PRESS CONFERENCE

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