Per Mertesacker is not one to shy away from a verbal confrontation and the defender revealed that bringing back the 'arguing culture ' to Arsenal was key to their upturn in results - following a number of heavy defeats . Arsene Wenger 's side were thrashed 6-3 by Manchester City and 5-1 by Liverpool last season as they slipped from the top of the summit to a battle for the Champions League places . And Mertesacker , who last season was pictured remonstrating with Mezut Ozil , admits being embarrassed by the bigger teams was the catalyst for a number of much-needed confrontations . Per Mertesacker says Arsenal have brought back the 'arguing culture ' after some heavy defeats last season . The central defender gives Mezut Ozil a piece of his mind following Arsenal 's heavy defeat at the Etihad . He told the Independent : 'We tried to think what went wrong for us last season , especially when we got beaten heavily by those big teams . Very severe . 'It 's always a big discussion . I mean , we are responsible for our performances . No one wants to have such a miserable day again . ' 'You need that arguing culture . We lost that at times . It gets personal , and someone gets upset too quickly , but you have to face the truth and have a proper argument . That was normal 10 years ago and it has slightly changed . The German thinks confrontation can be vital for a teams mentality and it has helped Arsenal since . Aaron Ramsey ( left ) , Jack Wilshere and Nicklas Bendtner of Arsenal stand dejected after the fifth City goal . 'We lost that a bit , what is the intention of argument . It 's really important , not only in general , but in a footballer 's life . It has to get louder sometimes . We need to discuss , to find solutions , to get everyone in one direction . ' This season is very different , with an in-form Arsenal closing in on Manchester City in second and showing that they can compete for the Premier League title. # . Champions League chasing rivals Liverpool visit the Emirates on Saturday lunchtime , knowing that nothing less than a win is acceptable , after their disappointing home defeat to Manchester United . Arsenal face Liverpool on Saturday in a crucial clash for both sides for the Champions League places .
Arsenal says that suffering embarrassing defeats hurt the squad . Losing heavily forced the players to bring back the 'arguing culture ' Since then Per Mertesacker have improved and could still finish second . CLICK HERE to follow all the live updates of Per Mertesacker vs Liverpool . CLICK HERE to read all the latest Per Mertesacker news .