Per Mertesacker: Team meeting sorted out defensive frailties at Arsenal

Real Madrid have not given up on signing Trent Alexander-Arnold THIS month with Carlo Ancelotti pushing for a Dani Carvajal replacement as they weigh up £20m bid
Luke Littler breezes through to the World Darts Championship semi-finals as 17-year-old superstar dominates Nathan Aspinall to set up Stephen Bunting showdown and guarantee himself at least £100,000
Players move on so Liverpool fans will just have to get over Trent Alexander-Arnold, writes SIMON JORDAN - the club is bigger than one of its parts
Ethan Nwaneri is the architect of Arsenal's comeback win at Brentford, writes ISAAN KHAN as youngster spares David Raya’s blushes on his first Premier League start to keep title race alive
Revealed: Man United's £900m Adidas deal could be TERMINATED by sportswear giants if club fails in basic objective - just 18 months after signing it
Each team to have 2+ shots on target in each half BOOSTED to 4/1 as Rangers look to upset bitter rivals Celtic on Thursday
Casemiro attracts fresh interest from Saudi Arabian clubs - with Brazilian one of three high-earners Man United are open to selling this month
Ruben Amorim 'tells Man United board he wants to sign Viktor Gyokores NOW rather than wait until the summer' with boss eager to strengthen under-firing squad despite limited funds
Ruben Amorim's plan against Newcastle was football suicide, writes DANNY MURPHY - but here's how the Man United boss can tweak it to stop the rot
Arsenal legend picks out two Gunners stars who are 'not good enough to fight for the Premier League title'... and claims that Mikel Arteta's squad is 'not in the same world' as Liverpool's
PLAY TEAMSHEET: Can YOU name the Arsenal team that lost against Brentford on the first day of the season three years ago?
Mikel Arteta hails Ethan Nwaneri's performance after 17-year-old filled in for Bukayo Saka against Brentford - and hints youngster could save Arsenal millions in the transfer market
Martin Keown claims Arsenal sent league leaders Liverpool a message after coming from behind to beat Brentford - as Gabriel Martinelli reveals Gunners' plan to cope without Bukayo Saka
Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya slammed by fans for 'huge mistake' against Brentford before making extraordinary goal-line save… from his own error!
Mind how you go, lads! Nottingham Forest stars Anthony Elanga and Morgan Gibbs-White enjoy New Years getaway to plush ski resort with their girlfriends
Revealed: The incredible science behind the pioneering treatment used by Tiger Woods, Steph Curry and now an England rugby star
Nottingham Forest January transfer briefing: Who are they after, what do they need and who might leave?
Dani Olmo is UNREGISTERED by La Liga after Barcelona failed to meet a deadline - with the Premier League target unable to play for the Catalan giants
Rangers goalkeeper Jack Butland is admitted to hospital with internal bleeding in his leg, ruling the England international out of Old Firm clash
Surprise Premier League side 'enter race for PSG striker Randal Kolo Muani' - after Man United and Tottenham showed interest in wantaway French star
Referee who appeared to elbow Andy Robertson in the jaw to meet Liverpool star again in Carabao Cup tie against Tottenham - as official handed first Reds game in 21 months
Real Madrid superstars Vinicius Jr and Kylian Mbappe heap praise on each other in heart-warming interview to quash rumours of a fall-out after difficult start together in Spain
First Arsenal, now England? Why scouts and FA insiders think 'mega-talent' Myles Lewis-Skelly is destined for the top with bumper new contract on way for Mikel Arteta's breakout star
Arsenal January transfer briefing: SAMI MOKBEL reveals the eight forwards on Mikel Arteta's radar in desperate push for an attacker, and why they can spend big this window

Arsenal face Monaco in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday night
The Gunners must score at least three times in order to progress
They travel to Monaco trailing 3-1 in the tie after a shambolic home display
But Per Mertesacker believes Arsenal can beat 'any team in the world'
CLICK HERE for all the latest Arsenal news

Published: 19:07 EST, 16 March 2015 | Updated: 06:08 EST, 17 March 2015

e-mail

View
comments

Per Mertesacker says that a frank team meeting between the defenders has sorted out the problems that bedevilled Arsenal's first leg of their Champions League tie against Monaco.

The Gunners face Monaco on Tuesday night knowing they must score at least three times after their 3-1 defeat at the Emirates Stadium last month.

But Mertesacker, the Arsenal vice-captain claims that the response of the team since that result – with four straight wins, including the FA Cup sixth-round victory at Manchester United, and in conceding just two goals since then – is an indication that the team is ready to overturn the two-goal deficit and produce an extraordinary comeback.

Per Mertesacker speaks to the assembled media ahead of Arsenal's Champions League tie in Monaco

The World Cup winner shares a joke with Mesut Ozil as the Gunners prepare for their second-leg clash

'We speak a lot to each other, even when we win,' said Mertesacker. 'We need to learn after defeat and winning. We always try to improve as a defensive unit. It’s always a topic to analyse things that went right and things went wrong.

‘After that game lot of things didn’t go well. That is a mental thing for tomorrow. We know mentally that we weren’t really up for it and at times we could feel there was a bit of pressure and we couldn’t really cope with that.

'But we feel after the game we moved on from that and that’s why we’re confident we can beat any team in the world.

‘We’re coming out of great week with two important wins and a good level of confidence. There is always a good mood in the squad and during the season we’ve responded well. But we have to face truth and show a different face tomorrow. We need to embrace the challenge.'