Why Arsenal’s Injury Crisis Opens the Door for Merino

Arsenal remain in the race for the Premier League title but injuries to their attackers have threatened to derail their challenge. 

Mikel Merino, the midfielder who joined the club from Real Sociedad in the summer, emerged as the hero in last weekend’s win over Leicester.  He could play a pivotal role in the closing months of the season.

Odds courtesy of bet365. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.

Merino Has the Tools to Excel in Advanced Areas

It’s safe to say that Arsenal have had some rotten luck with injuries this season. Bukayo Saka, their top scorer from last season and their most creative player this term, tore his hamstring in December and was ruled out for the remainder of the season. Kai Havertz is another attacker who will miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury. Gabriel Jesus is also sidelined for the rest of the campaign.

Mikel Arteta chose to start with Raheem Sterling, Ethan Nwaneri and Leandro Trossard as his attacking trio against Leicester but it was Mikel Merino who was the difference maker. The midfielder came off the bench and was deployed as a striker. While it’s not his natural position, Merino could be an effective attacking outlet for Arsenal in the coming weeks. 

Mikel is a physically imposing figure, standing at 188cm tall. This gives Arsenal a target man up to aim at who has a similar physical profile to Kai Havertz. Merino also showed willingness to drop deep and link up with Martin Odegaard, a player with whom he has a great understanding. Havertz also likes to facilitate play in deeper areas and this is an area where Merino can also excel.

What was more surprising was just how alert Mikel was in front of goal. He broke the deadlock with a headed goal and showcased exceptional off-the-ball movement to free himself of his marker at the back post. For the second goal, Merino cleared the ball away with a header in a defensive situation. He then made an expertly timed run on the break to earn him an easy tap-in. 

West Ham’s Defence Continues to Falter 

We are banking on Merino having an impact when Arsenal host West Ham this weekend. He has averaged 3.18 touches in the opposition box per 90 minutes played in the last 12 months. The midfielder showed plenty of composure near the opposition goal in the win over Leicester and the willingness to get forward over a longer period suggests that will not desert him in the weeks to come. Mikel also ranks in the top 2% of midfielders for non-penalty goals per 90 compared with all other midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues. He should get even more opportunities to find the net in a more advanced role.

West Ham have conceded 11 goals across their last two meetings with Arsenal. Graham Potter is also struggling to address the defensive issues that contributed to Julen Lopetegui’s sacking. The Hammers have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their six matches under the new manager and are conceding an average of 1.67 goals per game.

Merino is seemingly a good fit in the Arsenal attack and he will come against a West Ham defence that is short on confidence here. Therefore, backing the Spaniard to score looks a good bet this weekend. 

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