Arsenal Goalkeeper Bernd Leno Insists His Side Must Improve Defensively to Secure Top Four Finish

​Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno has insisted the Gunners' defence must improve drastically if they want to secure Champions League football next season. 

The Gunners currently have the worst defence of the top six sides and are yet to keep a clean sheet away from home following their 2-1 win over Huddersfield on Saturday. Despite their frailties at the back, Arsenal remain just one point behind fourth placed Manchester United heading into the final 12 Premier League games of the season.  

​​First-half goals from ​Alexandre Lacazette and ​Alex Iwobi put Unai Emery's side in a commanding position against ​the Terriers, but an own goal from Sead Kolasanic just minutes from time ensured the wait for a clean sheet away from home continues. 

Leno was unaware of the statistic following the match, but challenged his team-mates to improve in order to secure a first top-four finish since the 2015/16 campaign

"This season, we don't have a clean sheet away?" Leno questioned following the game (via ​Football.London). "We have to work on this because the defence for me is the most [important] thing to enable us to get back into the top four."

Laurent Depoitre

The German went on say his side have conceded too many easy goals, which could be down to a lack of concentration in the final stages of games, with the ​Gunners having conceded three times in injury time this season. 


"I think this season we have conceded goals too easily," Leno added. "Sometimes it happens at the end of games - ​Cardiff at the end, ​Newcastle at the end and today at the end. 


"It always seems to happen when we are two goals in front, so maybe we are losing a little bit of concentration because we feel too comfortable when the games are coming to the end."

Unai Emery

Emery's side now have a two-week break from the ​Premier League as they take on BATE Borisov in the Europa League, but return to domestic action on February 24 when they host ​Southampton


Source : 90min