Mikel Merino
Arsenal has been facing a challenging period, having drawn with Sunderland and Chelsea, and suffering a defeat to Aston Villa earlier this month. While Mikel Arteta’s defense has been praised as one of Europe’s finest, the Arsenal manager is now reportedly looking for more attacking contributions from his forwards, particularly Viktor Gyokeres. Mikel Merino, who stepped in during Gyokeres’ injury absence, impressed with two goals and two assists, highlighting the need for a consistent striking option.
Mikel Merino said: “Well, he’s [Merino] been an option. When you play with or without a No. 9, you have to put the ball in the back of the net. Whether you’re a normal No. 9 or not, I don’t know any more – the bottom line is how you play and how you perform. 9 against some big teams and we won games. But when things are not going well, or the way people think they should, you start to look at things like injuries, or the No. 9 not scoring.”
Merino continued: “When things are not going well, the things you aren’t doing are going to be raised, even though they were also true when you were winning. Injuries, the busy calendar – let’s not talk. Everybody has their own problems. Let’s see who’s going to be there at the end. I won’t change my tune from the beginning of the season – we must win the league. It has to be this year for me.”
He added: “I don’t know about which is more suitable for Arsenal, and if you think about the noise that was happening last year with Liverpool when they were top of the league, top of the Champions League, they were going to win the treble. Next thing you know, they didn’t. So let’s stay calm. I think the mentality of thinking that you can win everything is a different thing from winning it. You need to have the mentality to think that you can win everything, but don’t go too far with it. I don’t know what’s going to happen, so let’s let the players tell us.”
Arsenal’s upcoming schedule is daunting, with four matches in 10 days, starting with a trip to Everton. This period will test Arteta’s squad depth and the ability of his forwards to deliver under pressure. The manager’s call for more attacking output underscores the importance of Gyokeres and others stepping up to maintain Arsenal’s competitive edge in the league. The Gunners will need to balance their defensive solidity with a sharper attacking threat to navigate this challenging phase successfully.
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