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Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has warned his teammates not to rest
on their laurels ahead of Saturday’s North London derby.
Arsenal secured 1-0 win in the
corresponding tie last season thanks to Tomas Rosicky and the two sides played
out to a 1-1 draw when they met early in the season.
The Gunners are just two points ahead
of Spurs in the Premier League table and with both teams eyeing Champions
League qualification, Mertesacker has warned against complacency.
Speaking to London Evening
Standard the towering German said:"We have a very important away
game. We are very close to each other in the league, are two London rivals.
"Last season we did quite
well at White Hart Lane, so we will try to repeat that. Now they have a new
manager, there has been a change in the squad. It will be a good game, with an
early kick off, so we need to be fresh."
Meanwhile, Mertesacker has insisted
that he is worried of losing his place in the starting team to new signing
Gabriel Paulista.
The Brazilian defender joined the
Gunners in the January transfer window from Villarreal.
He added: "He is a talent and I
think we will get him to the level he needs because he has that potential.
"From my point of view, it is
very promising because we were short at the back, especially in the centre
position. We suffered a lot and had to change so many positions.
"It was a needed position to get
everyone going and keep him on his natural position is very important."
The 24-year old could make his debut
in Saturday's North London derby. Talk about baptism of fire.
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