Arsenal got back to winning ways and scoring from open play thanks to a three-goal victory over Monaco in the Champions League on Wednesday night. With injuries continuing to plague Mikel Arteta’s squad, there was need for some rotation in the side which gave an opportunity to Mikel Merino to start in the Champions League.
The Spaniard operated in the left eight-role which Declan Rice has typically occupied. The England international dropped back into the defensive midfield position and Merino got a lot of joy in the left half-space and fired a couple of good crosses into dangerous areas that the right-footed Rice doesn’t typically do.
The competition has be fierce in the middle, with both Thomas Partey and Jorginho two further options for Arteta to choose from. Speaking to football.london after the game, Merino praised the squad’s competition and believes it to be a good thing despite his personal challenges in breaking into the side.
“We have an amazing squad, you can see it. The competition is at the highest, the level of every single player is huge," the Spaniard said.
“I think that's good news for the coach, for the club, for the squad because we're pushing each other and everyone has to raise the level to play. So yeah, I think that's a positive.”
The fitness concerns also allowed for youngster Myles Lewis-Skelly to make his first Champions League start on the night as well, and he was mightily impressive. A 95% pass accuracy and was involved in the build-up to the first goal with a great pass to Gabriel Jesus.
football.london asked Merino about the introduction of Lewis-Skelly. He provided a glimpse of what it has been like to see the Hale End graduate on the training ground and show the worthiness to start on the night.
“Yeah, that's another good news,” he said. “That's also good news because you see that every single player who is filling those gaps is doing an amazing job today.
“Myles, with his full debut, did an amazing job. You could see the composure, you could see the quality he has.
“Also, the whole squad helping him is what we're talking about. When you have so much quality in every single player, when you're training every single day with us, you get better. I'm really happy for him and for every player who is just in the squad and doing his best.”
What was perhaps most interesting though was what the midfielder said about what the Arsenal team do with new young players that enable that comfort in finding their way with the established stars. In particular, was this idea of encouraging them to ask questions and not feel silly in doing so.
“Yeah, he's an amazing guy,” Merino replied when asked about the teenager. “He's a really good kid, always humble, just trying to learn from the others, asking questions, not being worried of being judged for asking maybe a stupid question or whatever.
“But he's always just trying to learn with a positive attitude and he also has that technical and physical level that will bring a lot of joy to the people who watch him play.”