Per Mertesacker – Do Arsenal Need to Replace Him?

Arsenal have had problems defensively this season.  The gunners have conceded 1.25 goals per game this season as opposed to 1.08 goals per game last season.  There have also been a number of displays where poor obvious defensive errors cost the team points.  There have been lots of reasons for this drop off like injuries, frailty in midfield, and a lack of a consistent back four, but the decline of Per Mertesacker has also been a big reason that they have not been as strong defensively.

Mertesacker has been a hot topic of conversation for Arsenal fans.  Most like the big German and thought he was irreplaceable after his fantastic form last season.  However, the German has had a bit of a fall from grace this season as his form has dropped off.  The vice captain has not been the stable rock in the middle of the defense he was during last season.  Teams have been able to exploit the weaknesses in Mertesacker’s game this season hurting Arsenal as a whole.

Mertesacker has had problems this season, but he’s not the only one reason that they have struggled.  Arsenal has lacked a strong defensive midfielder to shield the back four for years,  but their general play in the midfield this year has not been as solid as it was the past two seasons.  When the team’s midfield doesn’t perform as well it hurts the rest of the team and makes the defense more vulnerable.  Everyone knows that the World Cup winner lacks pace and athleticism.  When the midfield is so open it exposes the entire defense, specifically the big German.  Arsenal have also lacked a settled back four this season because of injuries.  The gunners have missed both their first choice right back, Mathieu Debuchy, and their other first choice center back, Laurent Koscielny, due to injuries.  Those injuries have forced Arsene Wenger to play players like Nacho Monreal at center back and having to play Calum Chambers and Hector Bellerin in more games than they should be playing at their age.  Those factors have had a major impact on the quality of Mertesacker on an individual level as well as the Arsenal defense as a whole.

While there are some explanations for the decline of Mertesacker, there is still no doubt that the German is not the same player he was last season.  Statistically, the 30 year old has only had small declines, other than clearances, but his decline has shown in areas not picked up by stats.  According to statistics, the German center back has not made any defensive errors leading to goals, but when you watch the matches you can trace numbers of goals back to the German.  One game in particular where this is true was the debacle against Stoke City.  On the first Stoke goal, Mertesacker found himself dragged out to the right side, but was not in position to close down the crosser nor block the cross.  While Calum Chambers could have and should have cleared the cross, the German still found himself out of position to deal with the danger.  The former Werder Bremen man was unaware of Bojan running off the back of him.  The former Barcelona man was left unmarked to side foot the ball past Emi Martinez and add to Arsenal’s misery.  Awareness, reading of the game, and positioning are usually strengths of the German that allow him to make up for his lack of athleticism.  Seeing him make these kind of mistakes are worrying for Arsenal.

Mertesacker has put in better performances with his preferred center back partner, Laurent Koscielny.  This makes sense because Laurent Koscielny is a very good centerback and because the Frenchman covers the German’s weaknesses so well.  The partnership the two have has been an extremely important cog in this Arsenal team, but it also shows a big flaw in Mertesacker.  That flaw being that the German has to play in a defense built for him.  The 30 year old is still a good centerback and can still play as Arsenal’s number one centerback this season, but, if his decline continues the way it has this year, Arsenal may want to upgrade at his position.  Mertesacker is still good enough to play for Arsenal right now, but if his decline continues, keeping him as first choice centerback may not be wise if Arsenal want to compete at the very top.