The Gunners defender has admitted that his side’s hopes of Champions League qualification are being ruined by their erratic form and poor performances

Arsenal defender Carl Jenkinson insists that his side can still beat their north London rivals Tottenham to a place in the Champions League but warns that they need to improve their consistency.

The Gunners have failed to put a decent streak together all season, with their best coming at the end of 2012 as they went five matches unbeaten, and have suffered disappointing cup exits against Bradford City and Blackburn.

Following Sunday’s 2-1 derby defeat, the Gunners sit seven points behind Andre Villas-Boas’sside, who are unbeaten in 12 matches.

But Jenkinson defiantly told the club’s official website: “There are 10 games left and there are plenty of points to play for. I think, in a couple of days’ time, we’ll get our head around this and realise that we’ve bridged a gap like that before and can do it again.

“Tottenham are our rivals but we’ll get over it. We’ll be positive. We’ve just got to work our socks off because we need to be in that top four at the bare minimum.

“I am confident we can find that consistency. We just have to believe in ourselves for the rest of the season.

“On our day we can beat anyone,” he added. “When we play to our potential, teams can’t come near us, but we need to do that consistently.

“If we do that we will be fine but we just can’t find the consistency at the moment.”