Mikel Merino and Declan Rice praise Arsenal fans (Photo: David Ramos/Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino can sing a shock off the bench, celebrating Mikel Arteta’s team’s “finisher.”
But Spanish International also one of the issues with having such a big team is that no one wants to spend a lot of time on the bench.
Merino was clearly referring to Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli, who were obtained to score and support two goals for Arsenal, by speaking in the mixed zone after the Athletic Bilbao match.
Still, Merino has admitted that all players want to play, so it would be interesting to see how he and others react if the playing time is limited in the course of the campaign…
Mikel Merino plays a key role at Arsenal.
Merino has had a decent influence since joining Real Sociedad’s Arsenal last season, and he continues to shine for the part of his people.
The 29-year-old can play a variety of different positions, so it should help him with regards to playing time this season.
However, Charles Watts recently discussed his role in his exclusive column. Catch off sideand suggested that Merino can’t be seen as a starter very often, as it’s not clear how well he fits into Arteta’s tactical setup.
“I think he’s an underrated player and has received a lot of unfair criticism. A lot of people mistakenly view him as a defensive player and saw it in response to his inclusion in his start XI at Anfield before an international break,” Watts said.
“Like others, I would have preferred to see someone like Ebeki Eze playing against Liverpool that day. Playing Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi and Merino felt like a conservative option in terms of creativity from the middle, but he definitely offers a serious goal threat.
“When it comes to Arsenal, his biggest problem is he doesn’t make it clear exactly what type of player he is in terms of the system played by Mikel Arteta.
“When he was chosen in the middle, we rarely see him drift into the type of space so that we can get the kind of possibility we saw him finish very well against Turkey.
“So, if Arteta wants to make the most of him, he will have to find a role to give him a little more freedom in and around the box.
“The reality is, unless he’s used to being a striker, I don’t really have that happen, but if everyone is healthy, I don’t think Merino is the regular starter for this team.”
