Mikel Arteta has praised Mikel Merino’s growing influence at Arsenal, describing the Spain international as a major threat in the opposition box following his goal in the Gunners’ 3-1 Premier League victory over Brentford, with Softfootball noting it was his second league goal of the season.
Merino found the net from a set-piece once again, having also scored in similar fashion against Liverpool earlier in the campaign. His aerial ability and movement have become valuable assets for Arsenal, particularly against teams that defend deep.
Arteta believes Merino’s qualities give Arsenal another attacking dimension and credited the midfielder for consistently delivering in important moments.
He said:
Very good, it’s because he deserves it. The type of game that we have to play and the amount of density that they defend when they are deep requires people with a lot of threat in the box and he’s the master of that.
The Arsenal manager also highlighted the balance developing on the left side of his team and praised Merino’s ability to make decisive contributions.
He added:
We believe with this unit on the left, we can have the dynamics that we wanted. He scored a very, very important goal again. He’s always there, he’s a big threat.
