Petr Cech admits that Arsenal haven’t been up to their “usual standard” this season, and says this is something “they need to address” moving forward.

Arsenal currently sit sixth in the Premier League table ahead of their clash against Swansea on Tuesday. We were fourth at the same stage last season and five points better off.

Cech points out that the Gunners haven’t been up to their “usual standard”, partly because the league is becoming more competitive. Not that many people seem to know what Arsenal’s usual standard actually is any more.

“We are a club that belongs in the Champions League, so obviously you don’t want to spend years outside of the Champions League spots,” said the 35-year-old, reports Sky Sports.

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

“Regardless of that, this season we have had so many games where we were not up to the standard we needed to be and this is something we need to address for the rest of the season. We should have far more points than we have at this moment.”

petr cech west brom

Arsenal’s 4-1 win against Crystal Palace in the league and 2-1 Carabao Cup victory over Chelsea last week was a massive improvement.

It seems too easy to credit Alexis Sanchez’s move to Manchester United on the sudden turnaround, but it really does look as if the team are playing like a weight has been lifted.

I imagine having someone you know didn’t want to be there was pretty disruptive. Hopefully, with the help of new signings Henrikh Mkhitaryan and possibly Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the Gunners can build on these results.

Wenger’s men might still miss out on a top-four finish this season, but at least they can lay a solid foundation for next term.