Top-four place there for the taking - Arsenal's Bellerin calls for calm

Arsenal defender Hector Bellerin insists he understands fans' frustrations at the team's struggles, but has asked for calm as a top-four place is there "for the taking" in the Premier League.

While a number of supporters are frustrated by the ongoing uncertainty of Arsene Wenger's future, as the manager still waits to announce a decision on a new contract, Arsenal's form on the pitch has slumped.

The Gunners twice fought back to earn a point against Manchester City on Sunday, but they have won just one of their last six league matches - leaving them sixth, seven points off the top four - and also crashed out of the Champions League with a humiliating 10-2 aggregate defeat to Bayern Munich.

However, Bellerin believes there is still time for Arsenal to turn the season around, with games in hand in their favour in the league and a semi-final against City to come in the FA Cup.

"My message is just to remain calm," the Spain international told Arsenal Player. "There are still loads of games to go. I understand that it can be frustrating not to be [in the top four] at the moment, but, as I say, we just need to be together.

"The team, fans, everyone - the whole of Arsenal - has to be together and be positive. Hopefully like that we can make it happen.

"It's also true that we have a few games in hand, we are a few games behind some of the teams on top of us. But we knew this year it was going to be very competitive. There were six or seven teams that were going to compete for the Champions League spots.

"We knew that it was going to get tough. It was going to be one of the hardest leagues probably in the last few years. We knew it could happen, but we still have loads of games for us to recover and make it into the top four.

"I think it's just ours for the taking."