Per Mertesacker says that Arsenal are going to have to be at their very best to win the FA Cup for the second successive season.
The Gunners take on Aston Villa at Wembley tomorrow with the warnings of difficult encounters with Wigan and Hull last season, and Reading this, still fresh in the mind.
“We’ve done well there but have not shown our best form, which is weird,” he said. “Against Championship sides, Premier League sides, Hull etc it was always a tight game.
“You can’t compare it to a league game – it’s difficult but we’ve been through it last season and it can be advantage. Just be aware that anything can happen on the day.
“Everyone is really up for it. It’s another special occasion for us to show we are capable of winning something.
“But we need the right attitude to compete at that high level and we need to turn up with our best performance, maybe of the season, to grab a title again.”
Mertesacker also revealed a sit-down with Arsene Wenger helped him regain his form which slumped after the World Cup, something he admits he found difficult to deal with.
“He spoke to me because he had a few examples for me,” he said. “It was very interesting for me how certain players coped with the situation. A few managed to deal with it and a few didn’t.
“I think he mentioned Vieira, who coped with it really well. He gave me kind of a challenge – ‘I want you to come back quickly and find your form quickly’ – because he knew it was going to be difficult.
“In the first months, in particular, it was quite difficult to come down and to forget that feeling of being a World Cup champion. It took nearly half a year to realise that.
“Most of the players got injured; I avoided that but didn’t play at my best and that was because I hadn’t experienced this feeling before. Sometimes I didn’t know how to handle the situation.
“I knew maybe there would be some criticism but I didn’t get injured so I tried to prepare even more – doing more yoga, more treatment, more things like that to come to a certain level where I could compete again.”
Dude.
Duuuuuude. One more big push now, hopefully a trophy and then a good rest during the summer to come back and be part of a genuine title challenge.
Mesut also gave an interview this week, but apparently it wasn’t interesting enough for Arseblog. Don’t forget, guys, that beyond Sanchez, there is Özil! Without him, Sanchez wouldn’t be here. After 9 years of drought, Özil came (while he could have gone to a better place) and Arsenal won the FA Cup.
We love Ozil but the interview was pretty boring so we decided against it. It wasn’t personal.
Per in this interview also mentioned Mesut and his injury. Boring too apparently as you deleted this special part.
Could of gone to a better place? Blasphemy!!
Sounds to me like you’ve already read the Ozil interview Alex.
And he’s not sharing the link either, just as bad as arseblog. smh.
Want Ozil to win the FA Cup for us this year but last year he didn’t. Carzola, Ramsey and Fabianski did.
If at our best we will slaughter them.
I didnt doubt our ability to trash them 8:0 but if the score is not that much just don’t give them unnecessary confidence like Hull. COYG
You need this, we need this! Smash them and don’t fuck about!
the BFG doing yoga?
it has to be the crane, really, doesn’t it?
Wow, BFG doing yoga. We need a video of that. It would go viral in an instant.
Per is such a top professional. Love him to bits.
In other news, sky is fuckin blue
Hands up have slated the bfg many times but love the guys attitude just a tad slow and not that dominant in the air for a bfg. Well he better have his shit together for final coz bentekes quite good in the air.
What a classy guy. I hope he’s the permanent captain next year.
How long will it take for Per to get his form back after a convincing win today ?