Per Mertesacker has hailed Arsenal’s “unpredictable” attack - and admits that at times their play even confuses him.

Arsenal have been the Premier League’s form team in 2015, winning 18 out of 22 games in all competitions since the turn of the year.

Monday’s 3-1 win at Hull City saw the Gunners reclaim third place with a game in hand over Manchester City, and Mertesacker has set his sights on a strong finish to the season.

"We are so unpredictable in what we are doing, even for me at the back sometimes it looks a bit weird!" Per Mertesacker

"We are so unpredictable in what we are doing, even for me at the back sometimes it looks a bit weird!” he said. "Sometimes we lose balance but sometimes it is really good so we have to keep going and focus on our game, especially defensively.

“We want to qualify directly for the Champions League. The championship has gone but it would be an improvement for us from last season where we had those two qualifying matches [against Besiktas], really tight ones, to secure the Champions League.

“That is the first target and then obviously the FA Cup - to defend our title would be absolutely amazing. That is the focus at the minute and it looks like we are quite sharp. It demands a lot but how we keep going is really pleasing."

Arsenal extended their unbeaten run to 10 games against Hull and Mertesacker believes the Gunners have made significant strides forward since the start of the season.

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“It is a massive win for us,” the defender said. “It was a comfortable situation for us before the game but they’re fighting against relegation at the bottom, so it was a tough occasion for us but it was very pleasing how we dealt with it.

“I think the way we have progressed in 2015 is absolutely fantastic and everyone wants to finish strong. How we have dealt with situations like that over the last couple of years is fantastic and really good to see.”