The most noticeable thing about Mertesacker is that despite his size, he looks in need of a few trips to McDonald’s. What he’s become most renowned for is possessing the turning circle of the Costa Concordia and the pace to match it. Even with all these negatives, I really like him. While Vermaelen draws all the plaudits for his strength and last-ditch, never say die battles, Mertesacker is often criticised. I feel this is because his work goes unnoticed. He rarely lets situations descend to the point where a last man tackle is required, he has only had to make 3 this season. His reading of the game really is fantastic and his organisational ability has been missed in his absence. You can bet if he was on the field in the North London Derby the other week, Koscielny would have never drifted so far wide to close down Adebayor, leaving Saha unmarked to open the scoring. The player himself has admitted that he has struggled to adapt to the rigours of the Premier League, the mistake against Norwich the most notable example, but he has put in some impressive performances. In December, Arsenal had only conceded 3 goals in 6 games, aided by two great performances from Mertesacker against Wigan and QPR.
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These two games probably highlight where Mertesacker’s mental abilities are vital, when we are dominating and likely to lose concentration and when we are chasing a win against a stubborn opponent playing on the break. These two games really highlight the minimalist efficiency he possesses, he very rarely needs to make challenges and when he does he ensures they are clean and strong. In 21 appearances the big German was only booked twice, compared to eight times for the more active Koscielny.
Next Page: How does Per compare to other last summer targets Cahill and Samba?
