Per Mertesacker insists criticism of Arsene Wenger and the Arsenal players has left the squad determined to end the season on a high. James Johnson Jersey . Arsenal were top of the Premier League table in January and in the Champions League and FA Cup, but a poor run of form saw them eliminated from both cup competitions while they now sit 13 points behind league leaders Leicester.The Gunners face West Brom at the Emirates on Thursday, live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm, and Mertesacker believes Arsenal can win their final five matches if they stick together. A late strike from Yannick Bolasie held Arsenal to a 1-1 draw at the Emirates on Sunday When asked if criticism makes the team keen to prove doubters wrong, the defender told Sky Sports News HQ: Certainly. It has never been different. There have always been rumours and always been criticism, but the group is always strongest when we stick to each other.We went through a difficult period in my time at Arsenal in these years, and we always came back stronger. The one thing we missed out was to be consistent over the season.That is a criticism we have to face and I have no doubt the group will grow, even when everyone expected us to win something this year. I think as long as the team is still hungry, still wants to go for it, thats going to be the key. As long as we keep that, we have the opportunity to get 15 points out of the five games. Then lets see what the outcome is.A 1-1 draw at home to Crystal Palace has left Arsenal in a battle to secure a top-four finish, and Mertesacker, who slammed his teams indiscipline on Tuesday, believes their attacking philosophy has cost them at times this season. Arsene Wenger is unconcerned that some Arsenal season ticket holders have returned their tickets for their game against West Brom We are team that likes to play forward, likes to play an offensive style, he added. We like to play to keep ourselves in positions where we get into the next attack, but we have to be more cautious about coming back and being behind the ball together.We missed a lot of chances. Weve had a lot of opportunities throughout this season to be in a better position.Those are regrets we do have, but still its very difficult to look back at the minute and think, we were in top spot. We just have to go for it now, there is no other solution for us.Watch Arsenal v West Brom live on Sky Sports 1 HD from 7pm, or watch live for £6.99 without a contract, on NOW TV. Also See: Wenger: Im staying put Sky Live: Arsenal v West Brom Sanchez and Ozil can wait Arsene incredibly unlucky Custom Miami Heat Jerseys .com) - The Utah Jazz look to put an end to their five-game losing streak when the Denver Nuggets visit Salt Lake City Monday night. Tyler Johnson Jersey . The Oilers have been shut out in three straight home games and are in last place in the Western Conference with a 4-14-2 record. "Things have obviously not gone as well as I would have thought probable. http://www.authenticbasketballshopheat.com/ . The Thunder earned the Game 1 win with a 100-86 victory Saturday night. Oklahoma City dominated the first half and led by 22 at the break, but saw its lead shrink to just two points in the fourth quarter. THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -- Zach Johnson is like most players at the World Challenge, not sure whether hes still playing in 2013 or if hes in the middle of the new wraparound season that officially started in October. All he knows is that hes leading. Johnson, who already has two official PGA Tour events under his belt in the "new season," came out a few days early to the unofficial World Challenge to work on new equipment with Titleist at its test centre in Carlsbad, and to meet with his team of coaches to outline goals for 2014 and to identify weakness. One priority is to score better on the par 5s, and Johnson wasted little time on that. Sherwood has five par 5s. He made birdie on four of them for a 5-under 67, giving him a one-shot lead over Matt Kuchar. Hunter Mahan and Bubba Watson were at 70, while tournament host Tiger Woods missed short putts at the beginning and end of his round and had to settle for a 71. "A highlight that were looking into next year is trying to play those holes a little bit better," Johnson said of the par 5s. "I dont know what I did that today. I hit it close. I had good shots in there with the proper spin, nothing more than that. But youve got to take advantage of them. Youve got five of them. The thing is ... one errant shot, youre staring a 6 right in the face, if not more. Theres a lot of penal areas." Johnson said he still considers Kapalua to be the start of the season. Woods, meanwhile, is still trying to get his head around the schedule change. He hasnt played an official tournament in the 2013-14 season. The only event he played was the Turkish Open, where he tied for third in the European Tour event. After this week, he wont play again until Torrey Pines at the end of January. Thats his usual starting point, except that the PGA Tour already has had six guys win tournaments. "To me, Im still on the old calendar, so to me this is the end of the year," Woods said. "I know that Im going to be pretty far behind on points by the time I tee up again, and thats just kind of the way its going to be. ... But you have the entire summer, you have the entire major championship season, you have the big events and then the playoffs. Anything can happen. But its going to be interesting to see how far behind some of us are when we start." This sure didnt feel like summer. Dion Waiters Jersey. The temperature was in the upper 20s before the sun came up in the foothills of the Santa Monica mountains. There was a one-hour frost delay. A combination of firm turf, chilly weather, some breeze and firm greens made for tough scoring, and it showed. Steve Stricker was among those under par until a bogey-bogey-double bogey finish put him at 75. Jordan Spieth, coming off a sensational rookie season and playing for the first time since the HSBC Champions in Shanghai a month ago, had a 77 and was last in the field. Jason Day, who won the individual and team title at the World Cup two weeks ago at Royal Melbourne, had a 76. Rory McIlroy, with girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki following him, was hopeful of building momentum from his first win of the year last week in the Australian Open. He missed a few short putts, found the water on the par-3 15th and had a 73. He played with defending champion Graeme McDowell, who had a 72. McDowell saw a note that his last eight rounds at Sherwood were in the 60s. That streak ended Thursday, though for good reason. "The course hasnt been this tough in a couple years," McDowell said. "The scoring reflects that. The greens are much firmer. The speed of them caught me by surprise a little bit today. My speed was a little clumsy, and it showed today on the greens." This is the final year the tournament is being played at Sherwood. It moves to Isleworth just outside Orlando, Fla., next year. Any rust Woods felt had to do with the greens, which he said showed on some of his putts. "I made a few mistakes today," Woods said. "I also hit a couple of good shots that ended up in some interesting spots. That can happen out there. I shot about the score ... maybe could have gotten one or two more out of it." Johnson had few complaints. He opened with two birdies, and then surged ahead on the back nine with five birdies in a seven-hole stretch, three of them on the par 5s. Johnson has a pair of runner-up finishes at this event, and with the tournament moving, this is his last shot at Sherwood. "I did everything decent," he said. "Just a real solid day all around. I was aggressive when I needed to be aggressive, and I was conservative when I needed to be conservative. Its nothing more than a decent start." on that. Cheap Capitals Jerseys Cheap Blackhawks Jerseys Cheap Avalanche Jerseys Cheap Stars Jerseys Cheap Wild Jerseys Cheap Predators Jerseys Cheap Blues Jerseys Cheap Jets Jerseys Cheap Ducks Jerseys Cheap Coyotes Jerseys Wholesale Flames Jerseys Cheap Golden Knights Jerseys Cheap Oilers Jerseys Cheap Kings Jerseys Cheap Sharks Jerseys Cheap Canucks Jerseys ' ' '