Kieran Gibbs believes that Arsenal's defenders are to blame for the number of goals they have conceded in the early stages of the club's Premier League campaign.

The 21-year-old, who scored in the Gunners' 3-1 Carling Cup win over Shrewsbury this week, admits that it has been a difficult few months.

"It's not been the easiest of months, not just weeks," Gibbs told The Express. "There have been some errors and I think we bring a lot of the trouble on to ourselves.

"As a defender, you always want to keep a clean sheet. When your team concedes goals, then every defender will tell you it's not what they want.

"It's just the individual things we lack sometimes. Concentration is one of them. At the moment, we make one mistake and it's a goal. It's unbelievable, but we will overcome it."

Arsenal host Bolton Wanderers at the Emirates on Saturday in the Premier League.