Santi Cazorla has promised Arsenal will turn their season around after calling on his team mates to show "maturity" to dig themselves out of their crisis.
The Gunners' season hit a new low with their humiliating Capital One Cup exit at League Two giant-killers Bradford, which has raised serious questions about manager Arsene Wenger's future after 16 years at the club.
It has been a turbulent campaign for Wenger as their best hope of silverware this season has gone and they are also languishing outside of the top four after a poor run of form.
But Cazorla, Arsenal's £12million marquee signing of last summer, insists they will turn it round by digging deep to produce a consistent run of results over the festive period.
Arsenal travel to Reading on Monday at the start of a five-game run that also sees them face two more relegation candidates in Wigan and Southampton, plus off-form sides West Ham (three losses in four games in the league) and Newcastle (five defeats in their last six Prem matches).
It is a run of games which Wenger will be hoping can rebuild confidence and lift Arsenal back into the top four.
Spanish forward Cazorla said: "I am confident that the best moments for Arsenal this season are still to come.
"Nobody believed we would get eliminated against Bradford, but in football you get these upsets. We were superior to our opponents but we did not get any success.
"Our problem is inconsistency in matches.
"We need to show maturity and confidence to get results. The lack of points are important because we want to fight for the title."
Landing Cazorla was seen as a major coup for Arsenal, but he has struggled to show his best form on a consistent basis.
However, in an interview with Spanish newspaper Marca, Cazorla has insisted he is enjoying his football under Wenger and also praised fellow Gunners midfielder Mikel Arteta, even though his countryman has been overlooked by Spain boss Vicente Del Bosque.
Cazorla said: "Wenger has given me total freedom on the pitch. That's very important for a new player who has arrived in the summer.
"The style which Arsenal play is perfect to me and I am more content with each day because I take on more responsibility for the direction of games.
"I have spoken to Mikel about his chances for the Spain national team. It is very difficult now to get a place in Del Bosque's team but if he follows this level then I think he could still get an opportunity."
Arsenal captain Thomas Vermaelen, whose penalty shoot-out miss sealed their fate at Bradford, added: "We have been shocked to miss the chance but there's still a lot of time left in the season for us to change the direction and move upwards.
"It's certain that the players and the manager are not satisfied but we have to improve and work hard every day and show even more effort."
This is a testing time for Arsenal, and the heat will be on Wenger at his Friday press conference to preview the Reading game.
Chief executive Ivan Gazidis has already apologised to fans at a Christmas drinks reception on Wednesday and admitted they deserved better than the exit at Bradford.
Wenger will be afforded big money to strengthen the squad in January, with Schalke's Klaas-Jan Huntelaar.
The Holland striker is set to be out of contract at the end of the season so could be available for a bargain £6m.
Arsenal also rate Crystal Palace wonderkid Wilfried Zaha highly.
The Gunners accept they need to strengthen, especially with Gervinho set to join up with Ivory Coast's Africa Cup of Nations campaign.
Gervinho has been in wretched form, yet remains Wenger's main centre-forward back-up for Olivier Giroud.
The 25-year-old doesn't speak English to any sort of acceptable level even though he has been at Arsenal almost 18 months, which has made his adaptation to the English game even harder.
Manchester United winger Nani is on Arsenal's radar - but has not been at the club's training ground.
The Portuguese was pictured at Watford's training ground - which is next-door to Arsenal's - where his girlfriend's son was playing in a youth match.
* ARSENAL striker Nicklas Bendtner could be sidelined for up to three months. The Dane, who's on a season-long loan at Italian champions Juventus, suffered a thigh injury in a match on Wednesday.
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