Mikel Merino de l’Arsenal marked a double past weekend (photo of Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Arsenal’s lead coach Mikel Arteta refused to rule out the use of Mikel Merino once again as a center after the Spanish heroic last weekend against Leicester City.
The injuries to several attacking players left Espanyol fighting for the final third options: with Raheem Sterling, Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard the only striker available at the moment.
All three started in the Arsenal game against Foxes last Saturday, but they could not be an important attacking threat to the team for 70 minutes.
Looking for a spark, Arteta made a change: He chose to bring Merino for Sterling in the second half to lead the attack for the final 20 minutes.
And the replacement turned out to be a genius blow, as the Spanish midfielder twice marked to achieve a 2-0 crucial victory for the Gunners.
With Arsenal welcomed West Ham United on Saturday, they have the opportunity to close the gap for the leaders of the Premier League Liverpool at only five points. However, without any of his injured attackers returning, Arteta faces the same challenge in the attack.
Before the game, he asked Arteta if he would consider re -use merino ahead.
“It’s a massive perspective,” Spanish responded. “You can attack and reach the box. As you can run with many parts of your body. He is very experienced and very smart, so if anyone can adapt to another position, he is.”
What did David Raya say about Mikel Merino interpreting as a striker?
It occurs after the arsenal goalkeeper, David Raya, spoke of the new position of his compatriot, saying that he had not seen him deploy there in the training.
“I think they had a chat (in training) because we always walk on the game days,” Espanyol recalled. And then he was talking to Moli (assistant coach Miguel Molina) saying, “What would you think of playing as a striker because maybe we need you there?”
“So he did not train as a striker once. He has just left and then because he is so smart and reads the game very well, comes in this position. Read very well the game. Obviously I know him play with the selection National.
“But these kinds of balls for him is his bread and butter. It’s so good in the air. It comes very well to the ball, and then it is just a fantastic head. “”
