Per Mertesacker has lifted the lid on his argument with Mesut Ozil that followed the 6-3 defeat to Manchester City away at the Etihad Stadium.
Normally regarded as a very calm customer, the defender was seen berating his fellow countryman after the defeat, when it appeared Ozil did not acknowledge the away support at the end of the match.
It says a great deal about Mertesacker that he clearly understands the traditions of the club and holds the Arsenal support in high value.
On the incident with Ozil, Mertesacker commented:
‘It can't just be all happiness, peace and pancakes. If it is then you won't develop as a team. The good thing is that Mesut and I know each other well from our time at Bremen. We can be honest with each other’.
Having Per Mertesacker at the club, alongside fellow German team mate Lukas Podolski has seemed to help Ozil settle in quickly at Arsenal and the incident at Manchester City should only really be looked at by a lesson learnt by a new man still learning about the English game.
Leadership
This sort of behaviour and talk has seen Per Mertesacker emerge as the prominent leader of the Arsenal team this year. If not for the chopping and changing of Arsenal captains over the years there would be a strong case to make the ‘BFG’, as called by his fans, captain of the side.
It has angered Arsenal fans in the past when players have not acknowledged the fans in defeat but with Mertesacker around this sort of behaviour will obviously not be tolerated, even by a close friend of his!
Compare his behaviour to a captain like William Gallas sulking on the pitch after a defeat and it shows how far the club has come. But even without the armband, essentially Mertesacker is the on-field captain holding the defence together and marshalling his fellow team mates. His importance over the winter period will be vital.
Last Christmas...I had a long rest
Mesut Ozil subsequently apologised to the Arsenal fans on his Facebook page after his talking to from Mertesacker. It was suggested that Arsene Wenger would look to rest his German wizard against West Ham but he went on to start the match. Arsene Wenger recently admitted he would need to soon rest Ozil telling reporters ‘In Germany and most of Europe they have Christmas off and at some stage I will have to give him a break’.
It seems as if today could well be that time. Early reports today suggest that he has been left out for the trip at Newcastle in order to have the rest he would have been used to in his career.
Having played in Spain and Germany before his move to the Premier League, the midfielder is not used to this consecutive run of fixtures over winter and a rest will be needed.
The return of Jack Wilshere today may help to finally give him this rest that has seemingly been a long time coming.
It may pose something of a risk as Ozil has been highly influential upon this Arsenal team, contributing four goals and seven assists, but the form of Santi Cazorla will also allow Arsene Wenger to take that risk.
Latest:
