Laurent Koscielny has stated that Arsenal must win all 6 of their remaining games this campaign if they are to snatch a top 4 spot come the end of the Premier League season.

The Gunners currently sit in 6th place, 6 points behind Manchester City (in 4th) having played 2 games less after City drew with Boro today, and 6 behind Liverpool (in 3rd) having played 2 games less.

Koscielny and his teammates face one of their hardest games of the season today, away to north London rivals Tottenham. The Frenchman recently spoke with Sky Sports news about what he makes of the upcoming fixture.

He told Sky Sports: “We must focus on our game, we know we have five or six games until the end, and we need to win all [of them] if we want to finish in the top four. We are focused, game after game. The next is Tottenham, the derby, and we need to have confidence. Each great result gives us more confident, and it’s great to arrive here confident.

“I think they have a very good squad, the coach does a very good job with the team. They are a young team, but now with two years playing together I think they’ve improved in the Premier League. They show they are a big team and can finish in the top four.

“I think they have different players to us. For us we have a system, we like to have possession and keep the ball. They have some players who can run a lot and do it different. I think the quality of the teams are the same.

“For a long time, more than 20 years, they finish all the time behind us. I think we have this in our head, but for us the most important is to be focused on the game, to win, and to finish in the top four for the end of the season.

“It’s not about them, it’s about ourselves, it doesn’t matter what the other team do, it’s about our job.”

2017 has been a difficult year so far for Arsenal’s players and their manager Arsene Wenger. There has been intense criticism from fans and pundits for performances this year, as the Gunners went on a disastrous run of form that saw them lose 7 out of 12 games in the spring. Koscielny says that spell was his most difficult as an Arsenal player.

“Yes [it was the toughest period]. When you don’t have the good results, it’s always a bad atmosphere in the dressing room, in the club, because nobody is happy.

“It’s normal, we are professional, and we love this club. We just want to be happy, and to have all the people who work or love this club to have a smile.

“It was difficult to go home, to say we lost again, again, again. It was difficult, and we need to come back to the simple things, working hard.”

The Gunners have since come back strong, with 3 wins on the bounce against Middlesborough, Manchester City and Leicester City. Adding Tottenham to the list, who have won 8 league games in a row themselves, would be a major statement and could propel Arsenal toward Champions League qualification this term.