Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker revealed that clear the air talks after defeat to Southampton has sparked their revival.
The Gunners have moved level on points with the fourth-placed Saints, and booked a place in the FA Cup fifth round following a run of five consecutive wins.
“At Southampton, that was a major setback — it was a bad start to the year,” said the German.
“After that, we promised ourselves to come out of that comfort zone and be a bit more focused, especially about what comes first, our defensive work, and not just for the back four.
“That was maybe the main thing for us to focus on, just to promise, and after that we played more convincingly, especially defensively.
“You can see the benefit when everyone realises that, and I thought everyone realised it very quickly after we lost at Southampton.
“Maybe sometimes you need a wake up call at certain times to realise what is really important.
“But we have lots of meetings, especially on what we need to focus on.
“Sometimes you can discuss a lot and you do not find any solutions, you have to find them on the pitch. You can talk so long, but you won’t get the benefit.
“We talked consistently about how to find our best way, but you have to show it on the pitch, otherwise everybody will doubt you and you cannot see any benefit.”