Per Mertesacker has stressed the importance of “shaking off” the Champions League defeat to Bayern Munich as quickly as possible.
The Gunners face an uphill task to qualify for the knockout stage after their loss in Germany, coupled with Olympiacos’ late victory against Dinamo Zagreb.
But with Arsenal riding high in the Premier League ahead of Sunday’s north London derby against Tottenham, Mertesacker says they must react positively.
“We’re working from game to game,” the vice captain said. “We’ve got an important league game on Sunday and then when we play Olympiacos [and Dinamo Zagreb], we must win. That’s the only chance we have a chance of qualifying and finishing in second place.
“I’ve already had some good discussions with the Bayern players - they want to protect and help us somehow. But we have to look at ourselves, which I think is particularly important after today.
“The way Bayern play, they are always up for it. They dominate and this time they scored an early goal, which helped them to find their rhythm and self-belief.
“We didn’t manage [to find our best form]. Going to 1-1 would have been really good for us but you have to say that Bayern played on a different level to us. You have to accept that and shake it off because we need to pick up important points in the league on Sunday.”
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