Arsenal’s German defender Per Mertesacker has warned his teammates that they cannot afford anymore slip ups like they did against Stoke City if they intend to go the distance in the Premiership title race.
“These are all decisive games. There are no points to drop anymore. They are vital games and we are up for it,” the German said. “I think it is up to us as to how close we can stay to the top.
“We have to concentrate on ourselves and we have to stay as close as possible to the top and that is the most important thing to us. It depends entirely on our finish; how we cope with the situation of our injured players and the situation that we have another chance in the FA Cup.”
Speaking on Sky Sports warm-up show Mertesacker said: “We have two competitions left and if we can manage to finish like last year, with strong performances, I think we have a good chance to compete in both competitions until the end.
“The hunger is there and the hunger is increasing. We went through tough periods this season and last season, but overall we have shown great spirit and great togetherness, so let’s get something out of this season that’s what we have to deal with.”
