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Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has issued an appeal to fans to get behind the team, but says he understands their frustrations after recent struggles. Oxlade-Chamberlain, 23, says the team wants "to respond for our fans" after a disappointing February, which included a 3-1 loss to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich in Germany. Those results have put the Premier League and Champions League trophies seemingly beyond reach for Arsenal for yet another season, and led to increasingly vocal criticism from frustrated supporters. But Oxlade-Chamberlain, one of the few Arsenal players whose recent performances have stood out, called for unity as the team tries to bounce back from their disappointments. "They [fans] want to win as much as we do. We're all in this together and we all want the same thing, so we've all got to stand up and be counted," he told Arsenal's official website. "The fans have followed the club for a number of years and they just want us to do as well as possible, so they're right to have their frustrations and opinions. But if they can be with us at all times, obviously that is much appreciated. Because they're really important and they're in it with us just as much as we're in it with them. "We hear them, and when they are supporting us and shouting it does act like a 12th man. I know that's a bit of a cliche but it really does help you to push on. Especially if things are going wrong and then you hear the support from the fans, it gives you that little bit extra to push you on. But it's our responsibility as well as the players to give them something to cheer about as well." Most of the fan anger has been directed at manager Arsene Wenger, whose future is in serious doubt with his contract expiring at the end of the campaign. But the players have also been severely criticised for their lack of fighting spirit after collapsing in the second half against Bayern last week. Arsenal do not have a game this weekend as the Premier League clash with Southampton was postponed because of the EFL Cup final, but they have another crucial away match at Liverpool next Saturday. But as they trail leaders Chelsea by 10 points, the game at Anfield now seems mainly like a fight for a top-four spot for both teams, and Oxlade-Chamberlain admitted that fans have a right to expect more than that. "They want us to win the league, so when we're losing games and it seems like it's slipping a bit further out of our hands, they're going to be frustrated," he said. "That's understandable because we're a massive club and we've got a great team that is more than capable of competing for the title. "They want to see us doing that just as much as we want to be doing it. We understand their frustration but we share the same frustrations as them. The only difference is that, as players, we have the direct opportunity to change things and make things happen. I think that, with the fans helping us by getting behind us, it will definitely help us do that."
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