Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has admitted that he is proud of the response from his players to prove their critics wrong by getting their campaign back on track.
The Gunners lost two of their first three Premier League games ahead of the first international break of the season in early September, including a heavy 4-0 loss to potential title rivals Liverpool.
Six wins and a draw, coming away to champions Chelsea, have helped lift Arsenal into fifth place in the table and well on course to reach the knockout stages of the Europa League.
After seeing off Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 on Sunday afternoon to keep the feel-good factor alive around the Emirates Stadium, Wenger confessed that the latest two-week break may have come at the wrong time for his side.
"We got what we wanted and just before the break," he told reporters. "Our last international break was a nightmare but this is one is a bit better.
"Yes, I would have loved to be able to continue to play but we cannot do anything about that. Let's hope the players come back in a good shape. I knew that after the game at Liverpool everybody did write us off. It just depends on us how much we respond.
"Nothing is permanent. You're not bad in a permanent way, if you can do something about it. You're not good in a permanent way, if you don't keep your urgency. We responded in a united way and we put some wins together and some good performances as well."
Arsenal travel to Watford and Everton when club action resumes in a fortnight's time.
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