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Cape Town - Arsène Wenger believes Arsenal's recent defensive improvement is evidence that his players are getting their "priorities right".
Saturday's clean sheet against Burnley was the Gunners' second in consecutive Premier League games reports the club's website.
Wenger's team have occasionally struggled for consistency with options restricted at the back, but the manager is encouraged by recent displays.
"Sometimes maybe we wanted too much to win games so we didn’t get our priorities right," said Wenger.
"But it’s only two games with clean sheets so we shouldn’t go overboard.
"We also had to change our defence quite a lot. We have Koscielny out now, Debuchy is out for a long time and Gibbs and Monreal have also been missing.
"It’s always important to find the right balance. The players are the players at the end of the day, and I make the decisions. I believe it was more a question of patience, and a desire to win the game.
"The decisive game was Manchester City at home, when we were 2-1 up and conceded a goal at a corner because we were not focused. From then on we had some doubts.
"I’m an attacking manager, but when you need to score four goals to win the game it’s one hell of a mountain to climb. To attack with freedom you need to also think, ‘OK I can go,’ and be sure you will be secure defensively.
"In the modern game as well the physical levels have gone up – everyone is quicker – so you cannot guarantee that you will score three or four goals in every game. I don’t think teams attack much better, but they defend much better than 10 years ago."
Arsenal face RSC Anderlecht in the Champions League on Tuesday evening when they welcome the Belgian side to the Emirates Stadium at 21:45.
On Sunday, Arsenal travel to Swansea City in a key English Premiership encounter at the Liberty Stadium at 18:00.
