Gael Clichy feels he's rediscovering his best form at Arsenal.

The France left-back admits he suffered a blip earlier this year.

"Even if you've been out for four months, people expect you to do well when you're back on the pitch and don't want any excuses," Clichy told the Official Arsenal Matchday Programme.

"But that kind of absence is still longer than, for example, our summer break - and we know that after the summer holidays you need a month and a half to get fit and sharp. Pre-season friendlies and training are not for nothing!

"So the same applies here, I think - it's never easy to come back and be thrown straight into big games, but I wasn't worried because I knew I needed time.

"On the other hand, I was disappointed that I wasn't able to play as well as I can - but I'm feeling better game after game and I hope that people who rightly said I wasn't playing well earlier on can see that I'm improving now.

"My game is based on fitness and if I'm sharp I can do really well - I'm feeling fresh and recovering quite well between the games, so I'm sure I can perform even better. There aren't many games to go now and I want to show that I can deliver for Arsenal."