No holding back

LONDON. - Arsenal’s players have held a clear-the-air meeting in a desperate attempt to stop their season collapsing around them.

The Gunners are now all-but-out of the English Premier League soccer title race for another year following their 3-1 thrashing by rivals Chelsea last week.

That defeat at Stamford Bridge came hot on the heels of a woeful display as they crashed to a damaging loss to Watford at the Emirates.

So the players decided enough was enough and called everyone together in an attempt to thrash out their differences and try to get their campaign back on track.

Publicly no-one at the club has conceded the title, but with Chelsea now 12 points ahead of them they know it will take a huge reversal in fortunes to claim top spot.

Just as worrying is the threat to their place in the Champions League next season, with Liverpool and Manchester United close behind them in the race for a top four finish.

Boss Arsene Wenger’s own position has come under the spotlight, and they face improving Hull at the Emirates on Saturday before travelling to Bayern Munich four days later — a Champions League last-16 first leg tie which has become the club’s biggest game of the season.

Back-to-back defeats at home to Watford and at leaders Chelsea in little more than three days have left them 12 points off top spot with 14 games to go and it has become, once again, a battle to finish in the top four.

The players are determined to get the season back on track and hope that post-game debrief on Tuesday will act as a rallying cry ahead of two huge fixtures.