I wonder when he will start to get some proper recognition from the media and opposition fans? Despite his performances in that run we made at the end of last season, he was still viewed by many as one of our big weaknesses, and his lack of pace is ALWAYS talked about as something that rival teams should attack. The guy for my money has been arguably the best CB in the league this season, and keeps getting better and better. Everyone talks about fast forwards exposing his lack of pace, but the guy is always positioned perfectly, so is ready to thwart any direct runs at him. He has also become a great leader for us, and I have to give massive credit to Wenger for going out and getting him when he did. Buying Arteta and Mertesacker was the start of our rebuilding job post Fabregas and those two have proved to be fantastic buys. All hail the BFG.
We have a thread on Sagna, Ramsey, Kos, and now Mert. Maybe we should make one for each player, since everybody is playing well, :-D.
The more players that opposing fans think are crap, the better. there will be less clamouring to sign them if they don't think they're any good. We have the best CB pairing in the league, nobody ever talks about them, and thus, we're likely to keep them. And good for us. Imagine if Mertesacker had pace, it wouldn't be fair for strikers all over the world.
If we can't rave about our players know, than I don't when we can. They all deserve the praise they are getting at this moment.
I agree Mertresacker has been brilliant this season, especially in contrast to before. But I can't look past Lovren and Fonte for the best pairing in the league this season, both have been fantastic.
Its a well known fact amongst our fans that our players don't get the recognition they deserve from the media, they judged mertesacker on his physique before he had even settled into the prem. But the amount of times he is able to stop opposing players running at him with the ball is baffling, i honestly don't know how he does it, he just extends his leg and is able to sweep the ball away. He has also now become real leader at the back for us, ordering people around and dictating the defensive positioning during set pieces. He was a colossus again for us last night and we have the perfect balance at the back, with him organising the rest of the defenders who all have a considerable amount of pace. I mean our offside trap has worked so well this season and the level of concentration and communication it takes to pull that off is a testament to how much the back four and scezney have grown this season. If we continue on this form i'd be surprised if sagna still wants to go in the summer, what a stoke of genius that was from wenger last christmas to get jenkinson ramsey gibbs wilshere and oxo to sign five year deals, gibbs has really come into his own this season and the england left back spot if there for the taking over the next year or so.
Mertesacker was my MOTM last night. Thought he was faultless and even when accused of fouling I didn't think he had.
Interesting. To me it's his command of our defense thats making the difference. We always needed that figure at the back and he's seems to be stepping up to the plate. Also it's made me think about his relationship with Vermaelen. Maybe Vermaelen stills sees himself as the main man and doesn't like to be dicated to, something the younger man Kos, doesn't mind? It's not like Vermaelen isn't as good as Kos or anything.
They've been immense but then so has the entire Saints squad in terms or organisation and work rate. Very impressed with them and the signings made over the summer. ...maybe not Oviedo.
Very true. Full backs aren't too shabby either in Clyne and Shaw! Astounding they've only conceded 4 in the League.
Couldn't agree more. Watching him last night was a throwback to Tony Adams, just thoroughly dominant, almost scaring opposition with his organisation/positioning/aggression. I could tell he was a quality player when we bought him, you don't get 80 odd German caps if you're ****e, he probably took a little while adapting to the pace of English football but since he's worked it out he's been top drawer. Vertonghen has been brilliant for Tottenham and he's about the only one who comes close to matching BFG's performances at the moment....
Southamptons FB's should get England call-ups. Luke Shaw is going to be one of the best LB's in world football, and Nathaniel Clyne isn't too shabby either.
Funnily enough I was having a similar discussion at work about this with a Spud and we were both saying how well they were playing. I'm always wary of over-loading yoofs and crushing them with expectation too soon but Shaw does look the real deal. Similarly Clyne has been doing so well that if you're picking an England team on form then he has to start over Walker or Johnson. Also, cheers SJW, good to be back! Heard the commentators saying some insane stat about the amount of fouls Mertesacker had conceded all season and it was ridiculously low considering he's a CB and deemed "slow as f*ck"! His reading of the game is just so impressive that he snaffles problems before they start. I also very much appreciate the fact he doesn't look like a footballer - gives me hope for the future...
Sort of. At the start of the game, I feared we would fall to pieces at the back, but that was not really case, we reduced United to only a few clear cut chances. Going forward was our massive problem today.
