Few people could have believed this at the start of the season, when there were many doubts about the wise of Arsenal's recruitment of Mikel Merino. However, the Spanish midfielder will be the Gunners' biggest hope in the Champions League semi-final against Paris St Germain.
The 28-year-old has been playing excellently since Mikel Arteta brought him up to the attack. He scored 6 goals and 4 assists in 13 matches. Merino's best performance was when he scored in the first leg and assisted both goals in the second leg against Real Madrid. Therefore, the news of Merino returning to practice this week is a big boost for Arsenal.
Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka received the most compliments at the Bernabeu but Merino was equally excellent. The EURO 2024 champions' contribution has rewarded Arteta's confidence.
Merino's desire for big matches will be shown again when Arsenal face PSG.
In the first leg against Real Madrid, when Arsenal dominated, Merino's activities mostly took place in the final third and the opposition penalty area. In the return match, when The Gunners spent a lot of time defending, Merino retreated deep, mainly operating at home but still contributed to the attack with 2 assists.
Merino's tactical intelligence convinced Arteta. The Spaniard has decided to use Merino as a striker as Kai Havertz is injured.
Merino's performance proved his ability to play as a center forward and a goalscorer in the penalty area. However, the 28-year-old player also showed no less danger when making runs from midfield. Merino's goal in the 3-0 win over Real Madrid was a combination of both factors.
Merino's unpredictable move has caused many problems for Real Madrid. And this could be a key role even if he plays in another role against PSG.
Compared to when the two teams met in the League Phase, PSG is now stronger, with Ousmane Dembele moving into the midfield with three men and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia deployed on the right wing. However, PSG's midfield has not changed much, so Merino will still be the key.
With Vitinha, PSG has an excellent technical player in the number 6 position. However, Arsenal won the physical battle in their last meeting. And the presence of Merino, who only came off the bench in that victory, would give Arsenal a significant advantage.
The Spaniard was signed by Arsenal partly because of his ability to win one-on-one disputes. In fact, Merino has won more duels and aerial disputes than any other Arsenal player.
The change in midfield in Partey's absence could see Rice move from No. 8 to No. 6. This will make Rice less likely to make sprints, which have become a feature of Arsenal's playing style. But Merino, although not as fast, brings more energy to this role.
Premier League tracking data shows Merino drives more than any other Arsenal player, averaging 12.17 km/90 minutes. This number is about 1 km more than Rice and is in the top 10 of the Premier League.
Merino's physical strength will be valuable in the opponent's penalty area as well as in the midfield battle. set-pieces, a formidable strength of Arsenal, are PSG's weaknesses. They have conceded a total of 15 goals from dead ball situations, the 12th most in major tournaments in Europe.
Merino could be Arsenal's best hope to take advantage of the opportunity. His set-pieces total of 2.95 goals are the third highest in the Premier League, behind Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes and Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
Overall, the match against PSG is another opportunity for Merino to show his importance as Arsenal continue to strive for the Champions League title.
