Mertesacker admits to tension in Arsenal squad, but says players willing to put their bodies on the line as Gunners aim to overturn 1-5 deficit vs Bayern
Per Mertesacker
London: Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker admitted to tension in the dressing room yesterday and said his struggling team haven't shown enough fight, on the eve of their Champions League mission impossible.
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Arsene Wenger's side crashed to a third defeat in their last four EPL on Saturday as Liverpool beat them 3-1 at Anfield and the Arsenal manager has had to dismiss reports of a training-ground bust-up involving star forward Alexis Sanchez.
Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez greets manager Arsene Wenger (centre) during a training session in London yesterday. Pic/AFP
Wenger dropped Sanchez against Liverpool, only introducing him at half time when his team already trailed by two goals. It was the worst possible preparation for Arsenal's Champions League last-16 second leg against Bayern Munich today, when they face the almost impossible task of overturning a 5-1 deficit.
And to make matters worse, German defender Mertesacker conceded Arsenal haven't been willing to put their bodies on the line. "I think we saw on a lot of occasions that we absolutely weren't ready for a fight," Mertesacker said. "That is what I want to see. That we are up for a fight, to challenge for something. We haven't competed a lot in recent games and we need to turn that around. At Liverpool we had a chance to go for it, to push it, even without our best player on the pitch. It's hard for the manager to select the team but he does it with the best intention. We trust him," Mertesacker said.
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