Arsenal fans should be patient and give Mikel Merino more time to perfect the Granit Xhaka role

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·13 décembre 2024

Arsenal fans should be patient and give Mikel Merino more time to perfect the Granit Xhaka role

Has the recent criticism of Mikel Merino been merited?

Off the back of Wednesday’s 3-0 success over Monaco in the Champions League, some gooners were quick to flood the internet with criticism for a particular player’s performance. Mikel Merino was one of four changes made by Arteta from the draw against Fulham.

Vidéos OneFootball

It seems he failed to put in a convincing performance, which eventually led to some discontent among some gooners. He is a serial dual winner, as we have come to know since his arrival but other areas are what is becoming frustrating for us. His turning radius could be a bit quicker as well as his efficiency with the ball at his feet. He was responsible for giving the ball away on a couple of occasions in midweek either through sloppy passes or getting dispossessed easily.

He wasn’t at his best on the night, but you do have to wonder if the criticism did go overboard. As well as being involved in some sloppy play, he also showed glimpses of what he can offer as our long term left 8. He provided good support for Martinelli with some lovely underlapping runs, which also led to him cutting back on a few occasions when he was picked out. This was kind of Xhaka-esque, in his final season anyway when we got to see him reborn in that position. Along with this, he also wasn’t as bad as his extreme critics would have him to be after the game.

Mikel Merino of Arsenal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD6 match between Arsenal FC and AS Monaco (Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

With that said however, there is still a lot of things he has to improve on. Granit Xhaka prior to his outstanding 2022/23 season could be compared to Merino now to some degree. Both versions of the players are slow and lack the intensity to make any significant impact on our midfield in defense and attack, but perhaps more coaching in that role specifically will see Merino replicate the stellar campaign Xhaka had before his departure.

Doing this will also require a little more continuity in the player’s minutes on the pitch so that he can gain familiarity with the system, he has only started seven games in all competitions this season, and even though his injury earlier on was partially to blame for that, it’s just not enough for a new player trying to grasp the role.

Speaking on the left 8 role itself, it’s a very demanding position to play under this Arteta system, considering it shoulders more defensive as well as attacking responsibility than the other two midfield positions. This just further highlights the reasons why he shouldn’t have been brutally scrutinised after the game.

This article is not in defence of him or anything like that, but instead to give a little bit of perspective on the player’s performance. Most have labelled him ‘bang average’ after his first few games for us and I agree to an extent, but at the same time, every player deserves the benefit of a doubt.

Just look at Granit Xhaka in his last season with us, years of mediocrity and stagnation eventually led a season of class. I don’t expect Merino to take that long to improve, but at the same time recognize it will take a little bit longer for him to completely thrive in that role.

Looking ahead, would it be wise to give him a long run in the starting eleven?

BENJAMIN KENNETH

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