In a season marked by injury woes to their strikeforce, Arsenal may have stumbled upon an unexpected savior in Mikel Merino. The Spanish midfielder, thrust into an unfamiliar number nine role against Leicester City, emerged as the match-winner with a vital second-half brace.
Despite never having featured as a forward before, Merino revealed that manager Mikel Arteta had hinted at the surprise tactical switch ahead of kickoff. “Arteta told me I was going to come in as a striker,” the 28-year-old disclosed post-match. “We were talking this morning about it with one of the assistants and honestly it was a surprise.”
Arteta’s Attacking Gamble Pays Off
With first-choice forwards Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus sidelined and the electric duo of Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli also absent, Arteta rolled the dice on Merino to lead the line against a stubborn Foxes rearguard. It proved an inspired move, as the Spaniard popped up with a late double to secure a vital 2-0 win.
Merino admitted his goal-scoring cameo caught even himself by surprise. “It’s the first time in my career I’ve played in that position. But he [Arteta] told me to go as a striker, make sure I go with my strengths. Luckily, I could help the team with two goals.”
Merino Makes His Mark
The midfielder-turned-marksman needed just two shots to make his mark, nodding home an Ethan Nwaneri cross for the opener before tapping in a Leandro Trossard delivery to seal the points late on. They marked just his third and fourth goals for the Gunners since his summer switch from Real Sociedad.
“I don’t know. I don’t think so to be honest!” Merino quipped when quizzed on his striker prospects. “I’ve only scored two braces in my career, this is the first time I’ve done it coming off the bench as a striker.”
Arteta Hails Merino’s “Goal Threat”
Arteta, meanwhile, was quick to hail his surprise match-winner as a natural “goal threat” post-match. The Arsenal boss revealed he had an inkling Merino could deliver the goods when thrown up top.
“He’s a real goal threat. The moment they started moving deeper and we were more set in the final third, we thought he could deliver those moments. But it’s easier to say it than get it done!”
– Mikel Arteta on Mikel Merino’s impact
“Mikel has never played as a nine. But he has that timing, and he can smell danger, anticipate danger. And then he can execute it,” the manager elaborated. “It was a lot of debate. I didn’t want to drive him crazy. I said to him this morning that he might play there, we believe he could sit there if the game needed the context. He won the game for us.”
Merino Keeps Arsenal in Title Hunt
Beyond his personal achievement, Merino’s heroics kept Arsenal firmly in a fascinating title race. The Gunners now sit four points adrift of league-leaders Liverpool, who hold a game in hand. With the battered Arsenal attack in flux, Arteta may well call upon his secret weapon Merino again.
As for whether he sees his future up front, Merino demurred. “It’s a good time to score as I didn’t spend Valentine’s Day with my wife, this goes to her!” he joked, deflecting from his new-found goal-scoring exploits. For now, Arteta and Arsenal will simply be grateful their Spanish midfielder was in the right place at the right time to deliver a crucial win.
