Cech admits Arsenal have not been good enough in top-four fight

Petr Cech admits that Arsenal have allowed their standards to dip at times this season and should have “far more points” on the board.

The Gunners entered the current campaign determined to right the wrongs of 2016-17 which saw them fail to secure Champions League qualification for the first time under Arsene Wenger.

A return to European football’s top table is considered to be a priority for those at Emirates Stadium, even when taking a Carabao Cup final and Europa League run into account.

Arsenal are, however, sat sixth in the Premier League at present, five points adrift of Liverpool and with their vastly-experienced goalkeeper conceding that they have once again lacked consistency.

“We are a club that belongs in the Champions League, so obviously you don’t want to spend years outside of the Champions League,” Cech told Sky Sports.

“Every year, the fight for the top four spots becomes harder and harder because the league is very competitive.

“This season, we have had games where we are playing very well, but we had so many games where we were not up to the standard that we need to be and this is something we need to address for the rest of the season.

“We should have had far more points than we have in this moment.”

Wenger’s side have collected 42 points from 24 games so far. Time is still on their side, with 14 fixtures to come before the final standings are determined.

The Gunners are, however, aware that they have little margin for error in their ongoing efforts to bridge the gap to the top four.

They have a testing run of fixtures approaching as well, with a trip to Swansea on Tuesday before tackling Everton and north London rivals Tottenham in back-to-back contests.

Arsenal will then take in two legs of a last-32 encounter with Ostersund in the Europa League before facing Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final and Premier League.