Arsenal: Mikel Arteta delivers verdict on Raheem Sterling form as he hints at Mikel Merino decision | OneFootball

Arteta considering whether to start Merino as striker after brace off the bench against Leicester

Struggling for form: Raheem Sterling has scored once this season

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Mikel Arteta believes Raheem Sterling can still have a big impact at Arsenal.

The winger struggled against Leicester last week and was taken off with just over 20 minutes to go.

Mikel Merino came on as an emergency No9, scoring twice, and he could now start against West Ham this weekend.

“It’s onto the next one, but Raheem is so experienced and like many other players that we know that what you did yesterday, whether it was really good or not, could be relevant to the next game or to the next action.

“He’s fully focused, he trained really good again this week and he’s ready to go again.”

Raheem Sterling has started only four Premier League games this season

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Asked if Sterling is struggling for confidence, Arteta said: “Hopefully not because we try to give him as much as possible.

If Sterling is to miss out against West Ham, it will most likely be because Arteta has opted to start Merino upfront.

The midfield excelled in that role at Leicester last week and could get the nod to play there from the off this weekend.

“Every time you play a player you are betting on that player,” said Arteta.

“What is a bet - I’m prepared to bet a certain amount of money to earn, but not a lot to earn very little!

“In the end, it’s about putting players in positions and roles and surrounded by players that we believe make sense and it can work and they are comfortable there.

“We trained the last few weeks with different players there to be fair, and he (Merino) has been one of them, but with other the players as well because it’s how you can finish the game, how you start the game, how you change if the opponent does something different, and every three days we’re going to need different options.

“We believed it was right [to play Merino against Leicester] for that context but then he made it right.

“Starting a game is very different, especially against a team with the ability to play in different ways with very different behaviours within different structures that they can use as well, and that's what we have prepared for.”