Per Mertesacker admits to defensive mistakes against Argentina

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker believes that Germany's friendly defeat to Argentina will serve as a wake-up call for his compatriots as they head into their first Euro 2016 qualifier against Scotland.

Mertesacker is unavailable for selection after retiring from international duty this summer, and he admitted that the World Cup winners made mistakes at the back in his absence.

"This was a wake-up call for the first qualifying matches," Mertesacker is quoted as saying by The Herald. "This is what the team needs and it will do us good for Sunday. I know there will be a response. We committed one or two mistakes in defence and these were punished straight away.

"Many of these players had never played before so you've got to accept that, but you could see how tight things are among the world's best sides. Argentina are a world class team. Things start for us in earnest on Sunday and we've got to win then."

Long-term captain Philipp Lahm and all-time World Cup goalscorer Miroslav Klose also called time on their international careers after the success in Brazil.