Arsenal defender Laurent Koscielny says their injury woes are no excuse for back-to-back defeats.

The Gunners were undone 2-1 at home by Manchester United yesterday.

Koscielny admits the injury problems afflicting the squad are problematic, but he insists Arsenal should not blame them for poor results.

"We've lost a lot of players and haven't had any real full-backs fit, so it has certainly been difficult," he told the Official Arsenal Programme.

"They're important to us at both ends of the pitch, but several players have come in and they've given all they have. Regardless of that, we know we can do much better defensively.

"It's not just about the back four - we need to defend together, as a team, and that makes the defenders' jobs easier too. It also helps our attackers if we win the ball in the opposition half, so we need to work hard in all areas."