“This is going to be a dangerous game” - Paul Merson tells Mikel Arteta to drop 28-year-old Arsenal star from line-up to face PSV
Former Arsenal player-turned-pundit Paul Merson has urged Mikel Arteta to drop Mikel Merino from the starting line-up when the Gunners face PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League tonight (March 4). Merson believes that playing the Spanish midfielder in an attacking role is a mistake and has called for Raheem Sterling to lead the line instead.
Arsenal head into the fixture without the presence of some of their key players, especially in the attacking positions, as they have been sidelined due to injuries. Injuries to Bukayo Saka, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Martinelli has led to Arteta playing Merino as a striker of late.
Merino did come on as a substitute to hand Arsenal a 2-0 win over Leicester on February 15. He was named in the starting XI for the Gunners’ next two fixtures but failed to make a mark.
For Merson, the idea of playing Merino as a striker is a tactical decision he finds difficult to understand. Despite the fact that Sterling has endured a poor run of form since he moved to the Emirates, Merson believes defenders will find it easier to deal with Merino than the England international.
Merson wrote in his column for Sky Sports:
''This would be a nice draw for Arsenal if they had a full team but with no firepower now, I don’t see them blowing PSV away. It's turned into a tricky tie. Arsenal have failed to score in their last two games and they only scored against Leicester, who have been letting goals in for fun, in the last 10 minutes.’’
''I hope Mikel Arteta stops playing Mikel Merino up front. I can't get my head around that one. I know he came on against Leicester and scored twice but Leicester are Leicester, they're not very good. I would play Raheem Sterling up front. He's lively. Defenders will be happy to play against Merino every day of the week. He's not a centre forward. At least Sterling's played up there before.’’
''This is going to be a dangerous game. I'd expect Arsenal to go through but I don't think it's as much of a foregone conclusion as what it was. I can see it going a long way.’’
"They are a really good team" – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta on PSV ahead of Champions League showdown
Tonight’s clash will make it the ninth time that Arsenal will lock horns with PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League. The two sides last faced off in the group stages of the 2023/24 Champions League, which saw the Gunners win 4-0 at home and draw 1-1 in Eindhoven.
Ahead of the game at the Philips Stadion, Arteta noted that their Dutch counterparts are a good team but added that his men will be ready for the encounter. He said (via Daily Express):
"They are a really good team. We know that. We have experienced it and it will be very difficult like any other Champions League result that we could have got or any team. We know what we are facing. When you are at this stage, every team is really, really good. When the time comes, we'll be ready for it."
Should the Gunners get past PSV, they will face either Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the quarterfinals of the competition.