"Arsenal's makeshift striker Mikel Merino had a very poor game against Aston Villa today, perhaps showing that Mikel Arteta needs to end this experiment. The Spain international has filled in pretty well as an emergency centre-forward, scoring in recent games against Chelsea and Brentford, but in general it surely can't be considered a long-term option. Against Villa today we saw Merino thoroughly shackled, with the 29-year-old barely able to make any kind of impact on the game."
"See below for some of Merino's stats at Villa Park, with the former Real Sociedad man failing to have any shots or make any key passes Mikel Merino vs Aston Villa 46 minutes played Shots 0 Total passes 11 Accurate passes 7 Key passes 0 Dribbles attempted 1 Dribble success 0% It seems Arteta realised he had to change things as he replaced Merino with Viktor Gyokeres in the 46th minute."
Mikel Merino started as a makeshift centre-forward and produced a very poor performance against Aston Villa, registering zero shots, 11 total passes and no key passes in 46 minutes. Merino was substituted at half-time for Viktor Gyökeres, who has failed to produce consistently since his £64m arrival. Arsenal invested heavily in attacking signings — Gyökeres (£64m), Noni Madueke (£48.5m) and Eberechi Eze (£60m) — but none have been consistent. Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli have also lacked regular end-product. Leandro Trossard has been the most reliable attacker with six goals and five assists in 17 games. The frontline looks underwhelming and requires changes or the return to fitness of Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus.
Read at www.caughtoffside.com
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