Arsenal defender has revealed that the reason why they win so many away games is because of their strong mentality.
The Gunners’ away form at the end of last season was one of the reasons they eventually finished above Tottenham and in the top-four once again, and so far it has continued this season, with three wins from three away games in all competitions.
Arsenal have beaten Fenerbache, Fulham and Sunderland on the road so far this campaign and it has taken their winning streak to seven games.
Speaking ahead of the club’s trip to Marseille, Mertesacker believes it is down to their strong mentality as to why they win away from home.
“We have an exceptional team – that’s the main thing,” he said. “We built up confidence from last season, especially the last 10 games when we didn’t lose anything.
“You could feel it from the first day that there is something special in this team, apart from the first game [against Aston Villa], no one dropped and the performance went well after that.
“We have shown so far that we are ready to keep our confidence and keep the run going. The most important thing is to keep that mental level high and to be prepared for tomorrow because it will be hard [against Marseille].
“They will put pressure on us so we need to be aware of that, particularly in the first 15-20 minutes.”
Earlier in the week Jack Wilshere praised Arsenal’s togetherness and it appears Mertesacker agreed with the Englishman saying the players want to find the best out of each other.
“We try to get everything out of one individual but as well as a team, so it is up to us to give ourselves the confidence, to give every player a good feeling and to be part of that special team,” he said.
“We have to compete every three or four days and that is what we want. It was a long [road] for us to compete in the Champions League [this season].”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt
