Tomas Rosicky has called on his Arsenal team-mates to cast off the shackles of doubt and brittle confidence that he believes are preventing them from expressing themselves on the ball.
The midfielder, who is back to fitness, says that his under-pressure colleagues are too often looking for the safe pass backwards or square.
He feels that the frustration among supporters at the Emirates Stadium has not helped but he hopes to see a more assertive performance in the home game against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.
"Sometimes we don't keep the ball as we used to," Rosicky said. "It is definitely a matter of confidence. You can see there are more back passes than we used to do. You have to gain confidence by winning the next game.
"I still think we have some very good players and we are better than what we are producing. We are good enough. We are not happy about things and we have to sort it out quickly. We have another game this Saturday and it is a good opportunity to start all over again."
Rosicky started his first game of the season on Tuesday night, in the 2-1 Champions League defeat at Olympiakos, and his performance was one of the few positives for a second-string Arsenal team. He gave them the lead with a composed finish before he was substituted at half-time, as the manager, Arsène Wenger, eased him gently back into first-team action.
Arsenal's failings, most notably their collective fragility, were obvious as they were swept aside by Olympiakos in the second-half, raising questions about the squad's strength in depth. Wenger said he would assess his options in the January transfer window and he is expected to conclude a short-term loan deal for the club's former striker Thierry Henry from New York Red Bulls.
The focus has turned to the visit of West Brom and Arsenal's travails in front of their own crowd. It has been their worst start to a league season under Wenger, and they have taken only 11 points from an available 21 at home.
"I can understand the frustration as I am an Arsenal fan as well," Rosicky said. "We have to know that we have young guys [in the team] and they feel the frustration. We all have to stick together. That is what we did last season when everyone wrote us off and we came back stronger."
Arsenal had lagged off the pace at the beginning of February only to piece together an impressive run of Premier League form to hoist themselves to a third place-finish and that serves as an inspiration to everyone at the club. Rosicky said the challenge was to win back the home fans but he knows the difference that they can make. He said the atmosphere in the home wins over Tottenham Hotspur and Milan last February and March was the most exhilarating he had experienced, and this is from a player who spent six seasons at Borussia Dortmund.
"I have been in professional football for a very long time and they were the best atmospheres I have ever played in," he said. "We have a challenge but we did it last year so why not do it again? It will be difficult, there is no doubt about it but we are OK to do it again. If we are all on board, it is a great place to be and a great place to play football but we must stick together and fight."
Rosicky played arguably his finest football in an Arsenal shirt towards the end of last season and it was a blow when he damaged the plantaris tendon that presses on to the achilles at Euro 2012 with the Czech Republic. He made his comeback as a late substitute in Saturday's home defeat to Swansea City.
"During the season, I had already received a kick on my achilles and I got finished off at the Euros," Rosicky said. "I am often receiving the ball with someone behind me. How can I defend myself? It is part of the game and I have to take it. To feel sorry for yourself is the worst thing you can do. I have to fight constantly.
"I think I had a good season behind me and I want to do the same this year. Maybe, I can bring calmness. I need to regain my match fitness but I can contribute. As a team, we are not in a good position. I will do my best to help this great club to be much better again."
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