Per - My role in the dressing room

Per Mertesacker has revealed how important it is for him to be flexible in his role as chief communicator in the Arsenal dressing room.

The World Cup winner has captained Arsene Wenger’s side in Mikel Arteta’s absence, after helping the Gunners lift their 12th FA Cup last season.

As a senior figure behind the scenes, Mertesacker's says one of his key responsibilities is to be able to adapt to the different characters in the dressing room.

“I try to be at my best, be calm and give our players the best from myself but communicate as well and give good information,” he told Arsenal Player. “That is what I need to do and that is my job. Everyone gives energy and everyone gives advice and needs to listen, including me.

“You have different characters. You won’t say the same to Laurent or Hector as what you say to Alexis. You have to put your words in a different way sometimes. You know now how people react to certain advice so I always try to adapt on that and give good information for their character.

“I don’t want to upset people and it is really good we have a lot of people who don’t take it personally - but if you put your words in a different way it may happen. I try to always be careful on that front because it is a sensitive topic.

“On the pitch you cannot handle that sometimes in the perfect manner, so it can be shouting or trying to give information. That is what I mean by treating everyone the same but a little different at times.

“Preparation is good but communication is vital and if you see something you need to tell you partner because that can make the difference at the end. We have a good group here but we still need to prove that we can be consistent to the end and play a major role in the Premier League.

“We can still learn and have experiences but the team sprit and how the team creates energy together is absolutely vital. If some things [are not] going your way, you need to try and find solutions and do the best you can as a team.”