Olivier Giroud believes Arsenal's failure to win the title this season was due to 'collective problems' rather than individual poor form.
Arsene Wenger's side were well placed at the turn of the year but endured a disappointing run of results in the second half of the season.
The Gunners won just eight of their 19 Premier League games in 2016 and finished 10 points adrift of eventual champions Leicester City.
Giroud ended the season as Arsenal's top scorer with 16 top-flight goals but his performances were regularly criticised by some sections of the Emirates fanbase after he failed to find the net between January and April.
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However, the French forward is adamant both he and Mesut Ozil, whose assists dried up in the second half of the season, are not solely to blame for Arsenal's inability to last the course.
"Our problems were collective," he told French newspaper L'Equipe.
"I've been less efficient compared to the first half of the season, but it is same for all the players, either Ozil or another."
Giroud went on to defend his own contribution to the cause further and stressed that while he had fallen short of the standards expected on occasion he also excelled during some crucial games.
"We mostly talk about the striker because you are at the end of the line.
"I didn't play well in some matches, it's true, but I was also present in very important matches, against Leicester for example.
"In the Champions League, if we qualified from the first knock-out round it was also through my hat-trick against Olympiakos," he insisted.
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Giroud is set to lead France's line at Euro 2016 this summer but the 29-year-old has been booed by his own fans in the build-up to the tournament.
