Per Mertesacker: 'Improved Arsenal form down to crisis talks'

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has said that a team meeting after his side's 2-0 defeat to Southampton is the reason behind their current run of good form.

The Gunners have won five games in a row since their defeat on the South Coast on New Year's Day, and the experienced German says that defeat has acted as a wake-up call to the squad.

He told reporters: "At Southampton, that was a major setback. It was a bad start to the year. After that, we promised ourselves to come out of that comfort zone and be a bit more focused, especially about what comes first, our defensive work, and not just for the back four.

"That was maybe the main thing for us to focus on, just to promise, and after that we played more convincingly, especially defensively. You can see the benefit when everyone realises that, and I thought everyone realised it very quickly after we lost at Southampton. Maybe sometimes you need a wake up call at certain times to realise what is really important." Arsenal face North London rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.