Gervinho believes Arsenal’s difficult start to the season helped the team learn a lot about themselves - and has made them stronger. The Gunners slipped to 17th in the Premier League table in September, but are now up to third with four matches remaining of the campaign. The Ivorian forward says this revival has been sparked by hard work at the training ground andan inner determination to show their true quality. “We learnt a lot from the negative start we had,” Gervinho told Arsenal Player. “It has made us stronger today - we have learnt from our mistakes. We learnt a lot during that struggle. “In life you will always be criticised. We had to prove to the people who didn’t believe in us that we were able to come back by playing well on the pitch. “The result is here today. Our progression during the season speaks for itself on the pitch.” Gervinho believes that the way Arsenal have turned their campaign around offers real reasons for optimism ahead of next season. “It is true that I am disappointed to see another year without a trophy,” he said. “I am used to getting trophies, but we tried and we went through a lot this year. “We are happy to have reached that level. I hope next year we will do even better.”