Sokratis is well aware of the criticism the team has received of late - but insists they remain fully focused on securing Champions League football next season.
The Greek defender played his part as we got back on track with a 3-1 win against Valencia on Thursday night, and says that staying together is vital at this stage of the season.
"I think we deserve [to be in the Champions League]," Sokratis said. "Last week was not good, but we have to think that okay, three games we played really bad - but also we have to think what we did over the whole eight months.
"It is not about three games putting everything out [that you have achieved before]. This is football. Of course you can win, you can lose. We had to win the games and until the end we have to also win all the games [remaining]. But we have to know that it is not easy.
"When you play at a team like Arsenal and you lose three games of course you hear critics and you have to improve. We are here to improve, to give the best for the club, for the fans and for us also.
"I think that the biggest point is that we have to stay focused. We are a big family and we are all together, we stay all together. In one week, for example, [Laurent] Koscielny makes a mistake or I make a mistake or [Shkodran] Mustafi the same, Nacho [Monreal] too, we are people and not robots.
"Of course we have to improve and we have every game to give 100 per cent and I think the critics are good to hear, to improve, but they do not touch us mentally."
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