Mesut Ozil has vowed that Arsenal will leave "everything on the pitch" as they look for an unlikely turnaround in the title race over their final nine games of the season.
The past week has seen Arsene Wenger's side eliminated from the Champions League and FA Cup, leaving Arsenal requiring a remarkable recovery in the final weeks of the season to have a chance of competing for the Premier League trophy.
Arsenal currently trail Leicester by 11 points with a game in hand over the league leaders. However Ozil has refused to concede defeat in the title hunt but did urge his team-mates to fight for every point available as they look to mount an improbable charge to the top of the table.
"I know the teams playing us will fight to take the points against us, so the games will be tough," he told the club website. "We have to fight on the pitch and we have to think from game to game, not that we can win eight games in a row and take the points.
"Now it’s not possible to win just our games [and that to be enough] so other teams need to lose points as well. The first step is to believe in us.
"We have to work harder than before. We have tough games coming but we have to take the points. If we win the title, we will be very happy because we believe in us.
"If you see the whole season, we’ve played very well. We’ve lost some points because we weren’t concentrated or we didn’t score. Now we have to fight for each game to take the points."
Their same fixtures last season resulted in 25 points across the nine games, a tally that could see Arsenal surge back into contention. That fact, coupled with Arsenal's traditionally strong form in the final months of campaigns, offers a glimmer of hope and it is one Ozil refuses to discount.
"Last year we won those last eight games but we don’t care about that now," he added. "It’s important what happens now.
"We have to concentrate now and give everything on the pitch. We have to fight."
Read More
MORE ABOUT