This was a performance based on lack of match fitness but was a performance like that of when players have played many games and the outcome was flat. (justarsenal.com)
Per Mertesacker, who has spent most of the season on the sidelines with a long - term injury, could return, but that is unlikely given his extreme lack of match fitness. (justarsenal.com)
Under Jose Mourinho and at Manchester United, he has had a tough time often merely down to ill - fortune — yet he has persisted through the injuries and a resulting lack of match fitness to work hard and force himself back into the manager's plans. (eplindex.com)