Arteta will want to see his side remain consistentplaceholder image
Arteta will want to see his side remain consistent | AFP via Getty Images
Mikel Arteta has had to improvise and adapt in recent weeks with the Arsenal boss being praised for one particularly inspired decision.
Mikel Arteta must be wondering if he sinned in a former life given the injuries that the Arsenal boss has consistently had to deal with.
Mikel Merino praised for Arsenal striker role
Yes, there is more depth than ever before, but it is an inspired piece of management from Arteta that has been a key difference this week with Pat Nevin praising one player in particular after the 3-0 win over Slavia Prague.
“Oh, he's a joke,” the former Chelsea winger said of Mikel Merino. “The first one was a great, beautiful finish. I mean, he's only got to keep it a bit. It's on the volley. But it's the effortless way that he just goes and volleys it into the side of the net, past the goalkeeper. It wasn't one of those ones where I put it on target and hope for the best.
“No, no, I won't pass it on the volley, pass the keeper where the keeper's coming from. And the other one was just, you know, a striker. A striker's attitude of, follow everything in. You never know. And it hits his head and it goes in the goal.
“So, you know, he's been absolutely fantastic when he's gone and come in as a kind of backup striker. But you have to say, well done, Merino, but well done, Mikel Arteta. Because you've lost so many attack-minded players, but you've got another one because you thought about it differently.”
Who should Arsenal target to provide another striker option?
Merino’s conversion into an auxiliary striker has been well reported but it highlights again how important it is for Arteta to get reinforcements in January. Gabriel Jesus would be a solid backup option, if he could stay fit, and despite spending most of his time leading the line Kai Havertz isn’t a natural striker or a natural goalscorer.
That the Arsenal boss has had to turn to his fourth-choice option is bad luck to an extent, it is still a situation that he shouldn’t find himself in though.
In recent seasons, not having depth in defence or in the striking department has, arguably, cost them two or three Premier League titles.
It is the sort of mistake that is easy to avoid if money is spent wisely. In terms of obvious examples, Dusan Vlahovic’s Juventus contract is expiring at the end of the season and he would offer the sort of competition that Viktor Gyokeres needs as well as providing a reliable goal scoring option.
Arsenal’s squad doesn’t have many weaknesses, but a team with aspirations of winning the Premier League and Champions League shouldn’t be playing a midfielder up front.
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