Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker admits that he is struggling to perform to his best this season – with him blaming the World Cup for his woes.
The German said the feat of winning the summer tournament had taken its toll on him.
With the Gunners suffering an injury crisis at the moment, Mertesacker has been forced to play alongside a variety of players at the back, which he also cites as a reason for him being unable to reach the heights of last term.
“Personally it is difficult at the moment because that was really a long season last year and to come back from that World Cup and get the motivation back… I am nearly back, but you can feel there is something missing at the moment,” he told reporters.
“With those games, the belief and the mentality is there, but the motivation will come back. We didn’t even have time to celebrate [the World Cup win] properly, that was the first thing, but you realise month after month what happened.
“I am still not there [taking in] what happened in Brazil, maybe in five or 10 years you can really realise what was going on there.
“We came back to Berlin, got on the stage, waved our hands, showed the World Cup and then everyone disappeared to their families to get some holidays, some rest and calm.”
The German said the feat of winning the summer tournament had taken its toll on him.
With the Gunners suffering an injury crisis at the moment, Mertesacker has been forced to play alongside a variety of players at the back, which he also cites as a reason for him being unable to reach the heights of last term.
“Personally it is difficult at the moment because that was really a long season last year and to come back from that World Cup and get the motivation back… I am nearly back, but you can feel there is something missing at the moment,” he told reporters.
“With those games, the belief and the mentality is there, but the motivation will come back. We didn’t even have time to celebrate [the World Cup win] properly, that was the first thing, but you realise month after month what happened.
“I am still not there [taking in] what happened in Brazil, maybe in five or 10 years you can really realise what was going on there.
“We came back to Berlin, got on the stage, waved our hands, showed the World Cup and then everyone disappeared to their families to get some holidays, some rest and calm.”
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