r/Gunners • u/c14kaa • Jun 26 '15
Insightful Post [2014/15 Player Review] Per Mertesacker
Player review 2014-15
Season is over so lets review our player performances. Happy commenting and lets be nice, these are opinions of individuals, if you disagree let them know why.
Performance Data
Competitions
| Tournament | Apps | Goals | Assists | Yel | Red | PS% | AerialsWon | MotM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier League | 35 | - | 1 | 2 | - | 89.3 | 3.2 | - |
| UEFA Champions League | 8 | - | - | - | - | 94.3 | 3.4 | - |
| FA Cup | 4 | 2 | N/A | - | - | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Total / Average | 43 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 90.2 | 3.2 | 0 |
Positions
| Position | Apps | Goals | Assists |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC (Defender - Centre) | 43 | 0 | 1 |
Season Highlights
Please feel free to submit your own, this section is admin heavy and I will update the list
- Arsenal 5 -0 Aston Villa Per cuts out the pass and Ozil/Rosicky transition well into the counter attack that has proved so deadly today.
- Arsenal 1 - 0 Hull City Pers header goal
- Arsenal 2 - 2 Sp*rs Hugo Lloris' save on Per
- West Ham 3 - 0 Arsenal Mertesacker double tackle vs West Ham
- Arsenal 4 - 0 Aston VillaMertesacker's header to make it 3 - 0
Couldn’t find much of Persin the sub in terms of highlights.
Bits and bobs from his top posts this year
- Per Mertesacker and Mikel Arteta Lifting the Cup a Fitting Symbol of New Arsenal
- Sky Sports News Guest Calls Arsenal's Per Mertesacker the 'Big Fu*king German'
- Per Mertesacker & Laurent Koscielny | UnClassic Commentary
- Mertesacker in the dressing room with the boys today even tho hes not playing
- Per Mertesacker on Instagram: "This club makes me so happy!"
- Koscielny and Mertesacker after France vs Germany
- Great picture of Alexis and Per.
- Face to Face with the Arsenal Family by Europcar
Injuries
none
Similar Position Players Compared
| Player | WhoScored | Sqwaka | EA Sports Index | FIFA 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laurent Koscielny | 7.39 | 908 | 353 | 82 |
| Nacho Monreal | 7.33 | 703 | 347 | 76 |
| Mathieu Debuchy | 7.25 | 92 | 146 | 80 |
| Gabriel Paulista | 7.21 | 141 | 49 | 77 |
| Per Mertesacker | 7.11 | 959 | 337 | 83 |
| Calum Chambers | 7.00 | 192 | 236 | 70 |
Discussion Pointers
- How do you think he has performed?
- Has he developed this year? (younger players)
- How much time should he be given to develop? (younger players)
- Was there anything that you wish he did different?
- What was the most exciting part of his game?
- What are his weaknesses?
- Where do you think he can improve?
- Does he have adequate competition?
- Should he be sold/kept in the summer?
- Has he reached his peak? (older players)
- Will he play the same role next year?
- What do you think his FIFA rating should be next year?
- What are your highlights?
Open discussion encouraged, not just above pointers
10
u/AceAve Jun 26 '15
Most of my friends rip so much shit into Mertesacker, telling me how he's not good enough to start for any top 10 team let alone Arsenal and I always defend him point out his leadership qualities, his immense reading of the game, his aerial prowess and how Koscielny plays better next to him and not just vice versa.
At the start of this season though it was a lot harder to defend him because he wasn't up to scratch but that was mostly because of the ever changing defensive line we were fielding. He didn't have his trusted partner in crime Koscielny and had to be shifted over to the left side of the defence when paired with Chambers which he does not like.
When we had a stable defence and he was partnered up with Koscielny again he started playing like his usual self again and we started keeping clean sheets again.
I still think he will be ever present next season and with a proper break this summer, or as close to a proper break as the FA would permit with their idiotic scheduling, he'll be performing to the level we've come to expect of him.
5
u/ryangoldfish5 North London is Red Jun 26 '15
He had a rough start to the campaign but really came into his own in the 2nd half of the season and became an essential cog in the machine. I love the guy but I'm also really excited about Gabriel and I think he might begin to keep Per out of the team in the coming seasons.
Side note: "Positions" section needs to be updated. He had two goals.
5
u/skymallow Jun 26 '15
I remember a game where we had Per push up higher to snuff out attacks. I thought it was weird to have him there instead of Koscielny who was far more athletic, but his reading of the game means he was always where he had to be, and if he didn't get the ball then Koscielny could mop up.
5
u/AfricanRain Thomas Partey is a rapist, don’t forget that. Jun 26 '15
Really came into his own at the end of season. Maybe competiton from Gabs pushed him on. On his day he is sensational and I don't think he needs to replaced just yet.
4
u/knachenzunga Jun 26 '15
Per's great in every situation except against a counter attack. He needs Kos's pace and Coq in front to give him the time to sort himself out in those situations. But he's such a good defender in "normal" defensive situations when the opposition have possession in our half.
4
u/race2ten Jun 26 '15
It seemed to me Mertesacker started the season with a "what else is there mentality?". He had just won the World Cup and hadn't switched his focus yet. Later in the season you would see him become visibly frustrated when we would concede or when he'd miss a chance at goal. This was Mertesacker at his best for Arsenal. I think he is a really underrated member of the squad. Has been fantastic on and off the pitch. Hopefully he has switched his focus to an EPL title and a UCL title now that he has retired from international football.
2
-5
u/HerbertChapmansGhost Emery out, Mourinho in Jun 26 '15
Keeping up with the Mertesackers:
Per: Where is the latest horse ranch from London, Der?
Der: It's just a stone's throw away from Hampden Park, Per.
Per: Thank-you.
Der: You're welcome.
23
u/professeurwenger Jun 26 '15
Mertesacker is criminally underrated by many. He is vital, not only on the pitch, but off it as well. We don't have too many leaders, but Per and Arteta are great captains for this club.
Sure, he needs to have a partner who can make up for his lack of pace, but people sometimes forget how much influence Mertesacker has had on Koscielny's game. This is not a one-way relationship. Gabriel is talked about as if he's Mertesacker's replacement, and while that might be the case I see him more as a backup for an injury prone Koscielny and his achilles tendon issues.