According to the Daily Mail, under pressure Arsenal centre-back Per Mertesacker has had some pretty sombre words for his team in wake of their recent Champions League exit to Monaco this week.

The Gunners were eventually knocked out of the last 16 of European football's most illustrious club tournament, despite winning 0-2 on the night at the Stade Louis II Arena.

Monaco proved the winners of the overall tie in the end, leaving Arsene Wenger and co. to sit back and wonder why their team seem so inept at progressing through the ranks of the Champions League.

Per Mertesacker, however, has reportedly been quick to respond to the issue of Arsenal in Europe. He said: "We were missing some good fortune but we didn’t deserve it because we played so poorly in the first leg.

"It’s difficult after such a good performance to look back and think that in the first game we missed that mental level you need to compete at the highest level.

"You can see how good we are as a team and how well organised we can be. We need to consider that every single day in training and in games. That’s why we are so far away."

The German centre-back has received vast amounts of criticism this season for his apparent lack of pace costing Arsenal in their most important games. Despite wearing the captain's armband on many an occasion this term for Wenger, the former Werder Bremem man has seemingly been made into somewhat of a scape-goat down at the Emirates.

Arsenal's French boss nevertheless remains resolute that Mertesacker is in-fact worthy of his place in his starting XI - which has been displayed in his recent preference for the German in each of the Gunners' last matches.

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