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Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker was so impressed with the statistic that the Gunners’ have not lost a Premier League fixture when he and defensive partner Laurent Koscielny have played the full 90 minutes for more than two years, he did not believe it was true, according to The Evening Standard.
A 2-1 defeat to Manchester City in 2012 was the last occasion that the pair were defeated alongside eachother, with a 32 game streak that includes 23 wins coming since then. Arsenal lay claim to the second best defence in the league and have now conceded just one goal in a staggering 11 home matches this term.
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“It (the statistic) sounds not real for me. When I first heard it, it sounded very weird. It’s a good statistic but we have to build on that.
“I think we have shown a lot of people who criticised us a lot over the last two-and-a-half years that we know each other much better now and that we complement each other well, so it looks like that’s a good partnership,” declared Mertesacker.
However, the 29 year-old believes that Arsene Wenger’s management of the squad throughout a formidable upcoming fixture list that includes league meetings with Liverpool, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton could be the key to success.
Although he is full of praise for his traditional partner Koscielny the towering German is adamant out of favour Thomas Vermaelen still has a role to play if the club are to end their eight year trophy drought.
“But I wouldn’t say that’s only us or the two of us. I think when I speak about our centre backs I want to include always Thomas Vermaelen because he’s our captain and he’s always vital for everyone. He’s aware of situations, he gives us a boost, he came back from a heavy injury.
“The boss will rotate in the next couple of months and it’s really important that we are all in good fitness and all in a good shape so we can continue our good form and good partnerships with the three of us,” he insisted.
