It’s only been a month and a half since the season kicked off, but it already feels like a million and one things have happened.
Arsenal have played the likes of Manchester City, Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur away from home in the Premier League, demolished Bolton Wanderers in the League Cup and kicked off their Champions League campaign with a 0-0 draw away to Atalanta, courtesy of a sensational double penalty save from David Raya.
Yet, even with all of that, suspensions to key players and injuries to others, Mikel Arteta’s side stand in good stead in the league and in Europe, although with a game against Paris Saint-Germain to come tonight, that might be less true come ten o’clock.
The manager will likely make several changes to the team, with talk of summer signing Mikel Merino getting his first run out for the club, but he should avoid doing that and start one of his most reliable stars instead.
Why fans should be excited about Merino
Okay, so yes, we’d say that considering he fractured his shoulder in late August, it is probably too early to play Merino tonight and certainly far too early to start him, but that doesn’t mean the fans shouldn’t be eagerly anticipating his eventual inclusion in the team.
For example, while Arteta’s team are already incredibly physical and hard to dominate, the European Champion will only help make the North Londoners even more formidable, as standing at 6 foot 2, the 28-year-old is not the stereotypical Spanish midfielder who is a wizard on the ball but easily pushed off of it.
Moreover, he puts his stature to good use, as according to Squawka, the former Real Sociedad midfielder was the leading duel winner in Europe’s top seven leagues last season, winning an unreal 326 of them across the campaign.
Lastly, while his off-the-ball work and sheer presence in midfield will help make Arsenal an even more unpleasant team to play against, the former Newcastle United ace is still a technically proficient player and someone who will be able to help in building up play and pitch in with goals and assists when needed.
For example, in his 45 appearances for La Real last season, the Pamplona-born dynamo scored eight goals and provided five assists, equating to a goal involvement once every 3.46, and with the left-footed Riccardo Calafiori behind him and Gabriell Martinelli ahead, the Gunners may finally have a left-hand side that can match the attacking prowess of their right.
Appearances
45
Goals
8
Assists
5
Goal Involvements per Match
0.28
However, with all of that said, even though Merino is rumoured to be in the squad for tonight’s game, Arteta should not risk playing him, especially when he can turn to one of his most trusted players instead.
Why Jorginho should start
Yes, the man Arteta should be turning to this evening is Italian veteran Jorginho.
Now, there may be calls to keep the midfield the same from the weekend and to start Thomas Partey alongside Declan Rice, but for as talented as the Ghanaian international is, he has started seven out of eight games so far this season, and with his worrying injury record, he should be rested for the games to come.
Moreover, in the former Chelsea ace, the manager already has a trustworthy and experienced midfield general who is undoubtedly a “big-game player”, as dubbed by Daily Mirror journalist Darren Lewis, and proven in last season’s games against Liverpool at home in which he was named Player of the Match, and the draw away at the Etihad.
Furthermore, in the 19 games he started for the Gunners last year, they won 11 of them, drew four, and lost just four, which is pretty good going for a player who is not a regular starter.
Lastly, Arteta once again turned to him for the game against Spurs last month, and while he wasn’t spectacular, he didn’t need to be. Alongside Partey, he helped keep Ange Postecoglou’s uber-attacking side quiet for 90 minutes.
Ultimately, fans should be excited about Merino’s coming back into the team and recovering from his shoulder injury so quickly.
However, with how many must-win games there are going to be this season, the manager should not be looking to play him tonight, especially when Jorginho is the ideal person to bring in for a game such as this.
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