Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has defended under-fire centre-back Per Mertesacker ahead of his side's Premier League home game with Queens Park Rangers on Friday. Mertesacker was criticised after apparently ducking beneath the ball to allow Martin Skrtel to net a 97th-minute equaliser for Liverpool in their 2-2 draw with Arsenal last Sunday.
But Wenger says the former German international - he retired from international football after winning the World Cup in July - was not to blame for his side's failure to hold on and claim three points. Wenger concedes Mertesacker has struggled to find form during the opening months of the campaign following the World Cup in Brazil. But the Frenchman is convinced that the 30-year-old defender is nearing a return to his best form and will only get better when Laurent Koscielny, his regular centre-back partner, returns from an Achilles problem next month.
"I believe he's on the way up. He had a difficult start to the season, but he's been much sharper lately," Wenger said. "Many people had a go at him for the corner at Liverpool, but I looked at it and he had no chance to get that ball in the zone where he was. "It's not easy for him. When Koscielny comes back and with Mathieu Debuchy being back, we will be more stable. Even in midfield we need to get our players back and to defend better. "We had no stability at the back and when you look at the number of players who played centre-back this season, it's not easy."