Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker says that it is his responsibility to make the club’s players want it more.<\/p>\n
Speaking before our take on Everton this weekend, the German reflected on the disastrous defeat against Watford, when we were 1-0 up but lost 2-1 late on after an awful second-half performance.<\/p>\n
The club captain had a different opinion to Arsene Wenger and Jack Wilshere, when he claimed that his team-mates need to start being better prepared mentally for games.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if you\u2019re exhausted, even if it\u2019s a game where you think you have to make every single step possible to avoid chances, you do it,\u201d Mertesacker told Arsenal Player.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey [Watford] were coming for us and were having a real go at us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen you need numbers, you need players in the box and players wanting to defend that goal. We lacked that, totally, especially on that second goal.<\/p>\n
\u201cI need to do a better job in preparing our players, especially mentally to go that extra step.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat needs to be done beforehand. Afterwards is easy because anyone can judge us on that performance and can criticise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s fair play, but we as players and me as captain need to make sure we are aware of that before the game, not afterwards.\u201d<\/p>\n