Per Mertesacker: I suffered post-World Cup trauma for half a year… but Arsene Wenger helped me recapture my best form

Per Mertesacker admits that winning the World Cup affected his form
The 30-year-old was part of the Germany squad that lifted the trophy
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger spoke to the defender to help him out
Mertesacker admits that Christian Benteke poses a real threat on Saturday
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Published:
21:35 GMT, 28 May 2015

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Updated:
00:45 GMT, 29 May 2015

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Per Mertesacker’s heart starts racing when he is taken back to the Maracana and the celebrations that followed Mario Gotze’s stunning winner in the World Cup final against Argentina last summer.

‘The first few months, in particular, were quite difficult to come down and forget that feeling of being a World Cup champion,’ admitted Arsenal’s giant central defender.

Mertesacker was on the bench for Germany in the final, edged out by Mats Hummels and Jerome Boateng in Rio de Janeiro, but it did not stop the feeling of euphoria.

Per Mertesacker admits that he struggled for form during the first half of the Premier League season

(from left) Jerome Boateng, Thomas Muller and Mertesacker celebrate with the World Cup trophy

Post-tournament hangovers are common for World Cup winners, who search for motivation and purpose in the months that follow triumphs at the very highest level of the game.

Mertesacker was one of them, admitting in the build-up to Saturday’s FA Cup final against Aston Villa that he lost his competitive edge in the first few months of the season.

The Arsenal defender said: ‘It took nearly half a year to realise the problem — most of the Germany players, including Mesut Ozil, got injured. I avoided that but didn’t play at my best. That was because I hadn’t experienced this feeling before. We had a kind of post-World Cup trauma for half a year.

‘I didn’t know how to handle the situation. I tried to forget about the World Cup. We will forever have in our memories what happened and stuff, but the season started, everyone was setting new targets and you need to be really focused on that, and try to forget about what happened last summer. Obviously with all the reviews and the pictures, and what you go through, it takes time.

‘I had to come back with new targets after the World Cup. It took half a year and I expected a worse season, honestly. I expected something more severe.’

The big German defender admits that he suffered from ‘post-World Cup trauma’ after triumphing in Brazil

In the end it took a conversation with Arsene Wenger to redefine his career. Mertesacker got back his zest for the game after Arsenal’s manager talked to him about Patrick Vieira’s experiences.

The former Arsenal midfielder was a positive example, championed by Wenger because he returned from France’s success at Euro 2000 to win the Double in 2002 and the league in 2004.

Mertesacker, who quit international football after Brazil 2014, added: ‘The manager spoke to me because he had a few examples and it was very interesting for me how certain players coped with the situation.

Arsene Wenger spoke with the defender and helped him rediscover his best form for Arsenal

‘A few managed to deal with it and a few didn’t. I think he mentioned Vieira who coped with it really well. He gave me kind of a challenge, “I want you to come back quickly and find your form quickly”, because he knew it was going to be difficult.

‘It was very strange, to come back and to get those targets with the club. The target with the national team was gone, I retired. That was a good decision for me to finish off this one career and focus more on Arsenal. Now I feel that I’m benefiting from that decision.’

He is also benefiting from regular yoga sessions. Mertesacker has been doing it for years, stretching his mind, body and soul as he concentrates on adding to the FA Cup medal he won at Wembley last season when Arsenal beat Hull 3-2.

Mertesacker played a major role in the second half of the season for the Gunners

This time they face Aston Villa and he knows Christian Benteke will be a real handful on Tim Sherwood’s team.

He added: ‘In dangerous situations, he often gives good, clever balls to his team-mates, especially in the semi-final. It’s difficult for us, we know how difficult it is to compete at Wembley. It’s different from being away or at home. You can’t compare that.

‘We have a certain mental strength in this competition to come back. We’ve been successful there.’