Arsenal captain Per Mertesacker has praised the way both Laurent Koscielny and Olivier Giroud have carried themselves in training and on the football pitch, after the terrorist attacks in Paris 10 days ago.
Both the Arsenal defender and forward were at the Stade de France playing for their nation against Germany when the attacks occurred and an explosion could be heard from the stadium, with incidents on the night killing 130 people and injuring 352.
Koscielny, 30, could be seen visibly distraught at the attacks when the French faced England just days later at Wembley Stadium and a rendition of La Marseillaise was belted out by both sets of supporters.
Despite the harrowing events, the German defender has praised his teammates, claiming they were ‘surprisingly’ clear about what had happened.
It is difficult time for footballers affected by such an incident.
Obviously when you are involved at the stadium… it is a horrible experience but to share that and have some time together [helps].
When I spoke to them they were quite clear about the situation and quite quickly back to normal. I was surprised about that.
Maybe they are affected but as the games come they will continue to get back to normal, that is what human beings do. I feel confident and they feel good as well. That is my image right now.
Mertesacker then moved on to discuss Arsenal’s chances in the UEFA Champions League, with the Gunners preparing to face Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday evening knowing anything but a win will see them crash out of the competition.
We want to remain in the competition for sure.
It has been difficult for us due to our results and our performances but there is still a chance for us and we want to take it seriously.
We beat one of the best teams in Europe at home so let’s put that in our minds, be confident and put in a performance.
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