Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker blames poor form on lack of Premier League winter break

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker believes his form since moving to the Premier League has suffered by not having the winter break he became accustomed to in Germany.

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Mertesacker, who spent five years at Werder Bremen before a deadline-day move to Arsene Wenger's side back in August, has amassed an impressive tally of 79 caps for Germany.

The 27-year-old has blamed his poor start on his lack of a winter break, which is common-place in the Bundesliga, though claims he is enjoying life in the Premier League.

"It was my choice to go to the English league and have no winter break, no breather at the end of the year," the defender told a webchat with Chinese fans.

"Normally in Germany you have a chance to calm down at the end of the year, maybe go on holiday. [Having no winter break] was very hard. We had a great time with the family here in London, but you have to deal with the situation.

"It is harder, but I really like it here. This is my new life: you get used to everything."

During the interaction with fans Czech midfielder Thomas Rosicky also spoke of his delight following their side’s 7-1 demolition of Blackburn, hoping that it was a turning point for the clubs season.

"We recently had an unsuccessful spell so the win over Blackburn is something we can build on," he added.

"We can be happy after this game, but the most important thing is to carry a performance like that and fight for a Champions League spot.

"It was a game when almost everything went in and it's good for confidence. But it does not matter if it was seven goals or one.

"The most important thing is the performance and the fact we can repeat it."