"At times, 10 or 11 have been injured and you can't play like that.
"You can't expect right-backs to play in midfield and wingers to play at left-back, or have a striker playing out of position, and it's hard to ask young players to come in too.
"We can't have excuses for doing badly but the squad needs improving if we want to move on.
"I think Newcastle will bring more players next season. They are still a big team that I knew about in Spain because they played in the UEFA Cup and Champions League.
"But the last two years haven't been good and we need to climb the table.
"Arsenal are one of the best teams in England and it's a difficult test. I still think we can win, though.
"We showed against Manchester United we can compete with the best teams.
"It's no longer a case of we need to get something, we must get something and with our fans behind us, we have a great chance."