Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka has denied the Gunners are lacking bottle in the race this season for the Champions League.
The north London outfit suffered a limp 3-0 defeat at Leicester on Sunday to leave their hopes of finishing in the Premier League’s top four in the balance.
Ainsley Maitland-Niles was sent off in the first half before Youri Tielemans and Jamie Vardy’s late double won it for the Foxes.
Chelsea’s 1-1 draw at Manchester United left Arsenal two points behind the top four but after a third straight defeat – where they have conceded three goals in each game – Xhaka dismissed suggestions the Gunners are soft.
He said: “We fight. It is not that we don’t fight because if we don’t fight, we don’t go to play. But it is difficult to explain.
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After this game or whenever you lose, it is always difficult to find the right words. “It is not the right moment to think about the top four.
We had three big chances, starting against Crystal Palace, Wednesday against Wolverhampton and we finished yesterday. “If you don’t take three points in these games, we cannot speak about the top four at the moment. “We are positive, of course. We have the Europa League [semi-final first leg] as well – Thursday against Valencia – so it is not the best moment to speak about the top four of the Premier League. “You can win the next two games of course but we have to hope as well.”
