There’s no doubt that Arsenal have experienced one of their most turbulent summers for many a year and this was definitely evident during the opening two games of the season. However, after recording a 2-0 victory over Liverpool at the weekend, defender Per Mertesacker believes that the worst is over and the club are already over the departures of Robin Van Persie and Alex Song.
Even though the Gunners have already dropped four points, they at least have to be praised defensively and happen to be the only team in the top flight that have yet to concede a goal. Mertesacker has been at the heart of this defence through all three games and after the 2-0 win over the Reds, it now looks as though things are finally coming together at the other end of the pitch.
According to Mertesacker, everyone at the club now knows where they stand. Speaking to the official Arsenal website, the 27-year-old said, “We believed in ourselves against Liverpool and that was the most important thing as we played fantastic. Some important players moved and we didn’t know where we stood, but now we know. You could see in the dressing room directly after the match. We are very proud to play for Arsenal. We used the opportunity to show everyone what Arsenal are about.”
However, while plenty of optimism can be taken from that first win, there’s no doubt that the Gunners have plenty of work to do after the international break. Title contenders Manchester City and Chelsea are both on the schedule in September, as well as a tricky away clash with Montpellier in the Champions League. Bearing this in mind, it will be easier to gauge the club’s situation in around a month when all of the big fixtures have been completed.