Robin van Persie feels Arsenal need to improve their form against the Premiership's supposed lesser lights if they are to mount a title push.
The Gunners are lagging behind Manchester United and Chelsea in the title race, but they started the festive period on a high with a resounding 6-2 success over Blackburn.
Arsenal fell behind to Rovers before bouncing back in impressive style and Dutch forward Van Persie is aware The Gunners need to rack up the points against teams throughout the Premiership if they are to put any pressure on Chelsea and United.
"It is going to be hard because Manchester United and Chelsea are playing so well," said Van Persie when asked to comment on the possibility of Arsenal mounting a title challenge. "They are two fantastic sides.
"If you just look at our games against the top sides, we won everything except Chelsea.
"So we actually had a hard time against the lower sides.
"However, if you want to be champions, you do have to win those games."
Arsenal will get the chance to prove their credentials against the bottom clubs when they take on Watford, live on Sky Sports 1, on Boxing Day.