GETTY Per Mertesacker has enjoyed a revival in form at Arsenal this spring But thanks to the lotus position, the big German at last feels in the right mind to bend Aston Villa out of shape at Wembley tomorrow. Mertesacker, like the rest of Arsenal's never entirely secure defence, came in for some fierce criticism in the first half of this season as they conceded soft goals galore, dropped points willy-nilly, and saw their title challenge drift away before the Christmas lights had come down. But he feared it might have been even worse, as he came back exhausted back from Brazil last summer with a winner's medal clasped to his chest. Mertesacker was worn out, mentally and physically, as were...
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