Oi Davies! You’ve been Mertesacked!!!

As we prepare for the Bolton home match later today we are all hoping that Arsenal have turned the corner and that the second half against Blackburn was just a blip. After all, we have defended with great credit against Dortmund and Swansea and for this crucial game today we are mercifully without the services of a certain Johan Djourou.

Last season young Johan became something of a talisman and I don’t think we lost in the league with him in the side until April. This season however, far from being talismanic, Djourou has become something of a Jonah and his lack of confidence and concentration typified this on Tuesday, when he failed to even jump to head clear, leaving Fabianski stranded for the Shrews to take an unlikely lead. This is not the point of this article, but for me Miquel needs to be promoted to the fourth choice centre-back now and integrated this season, as that boy has talent.

So Bolton, so often our nemesis in recent times, are the visitors today led as ever by officially the dirtiest player in the Premier League for 6 of the past 7 seasons, Kevin Davies. (How dare Carew take his title in 2006!) Therefore, this is the exact game Arsenal need after the debacle at Ewood Park; because our defence will be tested as much in this fixture as any, bar Stoke and Bolton away, and we HAVE to come through the test.

Until Vemaelen is fit to resume his role in the side it therefore falls on the shoulders of Per Mertesacker to stand up and take full responsibility for organising this back-line.

Until now he has looked quiet and almost timid on the pitch, but I have news for you Per mein herr, that is not why we paid £8 million for you. We invested in your experienced, seasoned, 6’6’’ frame for exactly this type of match and this type of battle. We have spent the last 5 years since Sol Campbell left the first time around, conceding goals from corners and free kicks, at an alarming rate, for the lack of a leader and the lack of a bloody tall chap to get his head to the ball. We have solved one half of the equation in that. We now have a dominant, confident keeper. So Mertesacker we need you to deliver on the aerial prowess. I am loving the way Kozza is throwing his body into blocks and making interceptions like no one since the Mighty Keown, but we cannot expect him to win all the headers against Kevin Davies, who scored 10 goals and provided 7 assists last term, mostly with his head. This responsibility MUST rest with our gentle German giant.

He has had a few games now to settle in to the side, so this is the match against the threat of Davies and Bolton is where Mertesacker needs to step up and show us he can dominate the most physical centre forward in this unforgiving league. He must show us that he can swat away set-pieces and win all the aerial duals with Davies, because with his 70 plus matches of international experience, Per should have the know how to deal with all that Bolton’s wily old number 9 will undoubtedly throw at him, and if he can deal with this threat it would mean so much more than a victory against Bolton.

This type of performance and resulting confidence will rub off on his younger colleagues, as Sagna has been doing it on his own of late. In short, if the defence, led by our lofty German, can get this match right we will have certainly taken a major step forwards.

There will be games this year when we need the combination of Vermaelen and Kozza, but the Bolton game and all those where the opposition have certain tactics and a Davies type centre forward, are the matches for which Wenger bought Mertesacker for.

So cometh the hour, cometh the German and I want to be saying at 4.5OPM – ‘OI DAVIES YOU’VE BEEN MERTESACKED!!!’

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