We have our confidence back, says Arsenal’s Theo Walcott

Theo Walcott claims Arsenal have now rediscovered the confidence that had deserted them at the beginning of the season.

The 22-year-old England international feels Arsène Wenger’s men are turning the corner after a difficult start, with Wednesday’s 1-0 win at Marseille giving them their fifth victory in six games.

“I’ve always felt that the team has been playing well but we’ve not managed to get the right results,” said Walcott.

“The last couple of performances and results have been massive for us, not just for the team but for the whole aura throughout the club. Everyone is on a high and we need to take that into each game now.

“We can’t look too far ahead so when people say ‘Arsenal are back on track’ we just have to forget about that. But we are starting to work for each other a bit harder than we have done in the past, that’s the case now, and it’s starting to take shape for us.

“It’s always going to take time when you have new players come in from different clubs – they need time to settle. They are coming out of their shells as well and it’s only going to do us favours.”

Walcott is confident Arsenal can take three points against Stoke City at Emirates Stadium on Sunday and continue to narrow the gap on their top-four rivals.

“They [Stoke] are physically very strong and they play in the Europa League now so they have that to think about, it’s different for them,” he added.

“But with the squad they’ve got I think they have enough players to cope with that.

“We know their strengths and weaknesses so we just need to utilise and hopefully, with our home support and the way we are playing at the moment, I can’t see why we can’t beat them.”