Gary Neville couldn’t be more wrong about Mikel Merino after recent Arsenal comments

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Arsenal have been criticised for being too defensive at times under Mikel Arteta, as they aim for the Premier League title this season.

The Gunners have been balancing that with other competitions, a larger squad and greater expectations on them.

So far, they have handled it well, with Mikel Arteta guiding them to the top of the league, but that hasn’t stopped criticism for him.

The Arsenal boss has been accused of being defensive, particularly with his team selection and way of playing.

At the centre of that appears to be the decision to pick Mikel Merino in some games.

The Spanish international seems to be viewed in a particular way, not least by pundits, which couldn’t be further from how he actually plays.

Pundits liken Mikel Merino to defensive football despite Arsenal star’s goal record

Mikel Merino can often get forgotten about in the midfield, due to options such as Martin Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard and Eberechi Eze.

While he may not be quite as eye-catching as the others with his displays, that has brought around an idea that he is part of a defensive approach from Arsenal.

Merino’s name has appeared plenty of times when pundits have spoken about the Gunners and their inability to take risks.

Gary Neville said on Sky Sports after Arsenal’s draw with Manchester City: “My narrative with Arsenal was thinking, is he going to take the risk? Is he going to send his players the message that I am going for it, that I believe in you?

“And the teamsheet comes through and I see that Leandro Trossard, who’s a very good player, and Mikel Merino are on it.

“I thought the same at Anfield, and I can’t help thinking, and I’ve said this probably now for a couple of weeks: I’m not going to look at what a manager says, I’m going to look at what he does.”

This was reinforced further by Neville, as he said on the Overlap: “I don’t think 60,000 or 70,000 fans can be wrong in how they feel, and I don’t think any of us who were in the studio or in that stadium can be wrong either.

“The big thing for me is the players. He names that team on Friday afternoon or, let’s say, Thursday afternoon in training, and he leaves out Eze and he leaves out Martinelli, and he puts in Trossard and Merino.

“I guarantee you that dressing room, straight away, are looking at him and thinking, ‘Hmm, you’ve done it the same again, you’ve done it at Anfield and a little bit at Old Trafford, but certainly at Anfield.’”

While his physical frame and defensive ability may point towards a slightly different game plan, the numbers suggest Neville is absolutely wrong.

The 29-year-old may not be this instinctively creative playmaker, but he does offer a goal threat that is important for both club and country.

Merino has already scored ten goals in 53 appearances for the Gunners since signing from Real Sociedad last season.

He operated as a striker for some of those, but his ability to crash the box and cause chaos is quite clear.

Nothing displays this better than the international stage, as Merino has six goals in World Cup qualifying so far.

The midfielder has scored around 50% of Spain’s total goals so far, and he doesn’t look like slowing down any time soon.

Not bad for a defensive-minded pick in the team.

Merino isn’t necessarily a player for security, but rather, he offers different options to score goals.

Too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth, and too many playmakers could spoil the scoring chances, too.

In Merino, Arsenal have someone who can cause many different issues.

Mikel Merino defended by his Arsenal and Spain managers

Mikel Merino has been put in this box as a defensive player, but Mikel Arteta and Luis de la Fuente have clearly spoken out against that.

Arteta said after Arsenal beat Newcastle: “Mikel [Merino] is a massive goal threat coming from midfield, and he wins you the game.”

De la Fuente has then compared him to two other brilliant Spanish players, as he said during the October international break: “He is an exceptionally complete player with great adaptability.

“There are few players as versatile as him, and it is a privilege to have him with us. He reads opponents and situations superbly. He is a fantastic footballer, on the same level as Pedri, Oyarzabal, Rodri… we have an outstanding squad.”

Merino keeps proving people wrong, and will do so until others sit up and take notice.