Mertesacker – Characters in the dressing room help us

Ahead of Arsenal’s clash with rival title contenders Manchester City, World Cup winner and Arsenal’s vice-captain Per Mertesacker has been speaking of the importance of team chemistry, and the influence a balance of characters within the dressing room has on match day results – a factor which he believes has been a key contributor to Arsenal’s impressive recent form of four wins and one draw in the last five games.

The experienced German defender has revealed the club’s overall determination to build upon the club’s recent trophy success of two FA Cups and two Community Shields in the previous two seasons, stating the Arsenal player were willing to “dedicate their lives” to the cause.

It’s not about me or anyone else, it’s about the club. We want to dedicate our lives to that club, and that means more to me than just performing well individually.

I think there are characters in the squad that just take care of their game and try not to lose energy, which is what you need.

You always have different types of characters but my personal approach was always that I would feel good if things were put in place, were planned and were organised. I try to communicate well on and off the pitch so the lads know that when I say something it’s honest and it’s the truth.

Everyone has their own personality and brings something to the team. Our dressing room is really lively.

We have different characters and the young, talented players sometimes look up to the more experienced guys. In that case, I have a role to play.

I do it in an honest way. Things that I learnt and grabbed during my career that I think are important would include being genuine to all the lads and treating everyone equally and differently.

That’s something I try to do in the dressing room. There’s no hidden secret – I just try to contribute.