Petr Cech can be Arsenal’s rock, says Per Mertesacker

Veteran goalkeeper Petr Cech can become the rock on which Arsenal build another formidable defence, according to centre-back Per Mertesacker.

The 33-year-old £10m (€14m) summer signing from Chelsea endured a nightmare start to his Gunners career in the 2-0 defeat to West Ham on the opening day of the new Premier League season.

However, Cech showed some good handling and strong positional sense as Arsenal responded with a 2-1 victory at Crystal Palace on Sunday.

And Mertesacker, a World Cup winner with Germany, is in no doubt Cech will prove his worth over the course of the campaign.

“Petr is very experienced. You can feel that, he has lots of things to say and in the dressing room he gives us a great lift. Even when we lose a game, he has some great ideas on and off the pitch,” Mertesacker said.

“He is experienced enough to think about what went wrong, you don’t have to tell him.

“My feeling is he comes back even stronger, so there is no doubt he will be a great addition for us.”

Mertesacker added: “Even when you are experienced, sometimes mistakes happen, but the interaction between the goalkeeper and the back four has to be top to compete in the Premier League. Sometimes it takes longer than you think.

“Petr came and had that understanding from the start, we both communicate well and understand each other as someone who has to talk and is really responsible.

“We match our ambitions on the pitch, and so it is great to communicate with him.”

Mertesacker was impressed with Arsenal’s display at Selhurst Park.

“Against Palace, it was good possession, to play the ball through the midfield and penetrate them.

“Later (in the game) we made it difficult for ourselves, but overall it was a very encouraging performance from top to bottom. We were dominant and that was the key to our success.

“We were good on the break, good in the combinations, there is a lot more to come from us, that is what we need, that is our game and we need to count on that.”

Mertesacker believes Arsenal have now given themselves the perfect platform with which to head into the showdown with Liverpool next Monday night at the Emirates Stadium.

“That (a must-win game) is not the pressure we put on ourselves, but obviously it is a very important game,” the German defender said.

“Liverpool is an opponent which has invested a lot of money and will be great competition to play against, especially at home. We want to give something back to our crowd after the (bad) start.”