Arsenal kept up the pressure on Premier League leaders Liverpool with a 2-0 win at Leicester City in Saturday’s early kick-off.
Arsenal’s victory came about thanks to an unlikely hero, with Mikel Merino enjoying arguably the greatest positional debut in recent history.
Merino came on in the second half as a centre-forward, having never played up front before and with the score at 0-0, and went on to score a brace.
The Spaniard came on in the 69th minute and, 12 minutes later, was on the scoresheet with a clinical header from Ethan Nwaneri’s cross.
Then, in the 87th minute, Leandro Trossard delivered a great ball across the face of goal that Merino expertly poked home to put Arsenal out of reach.
Mikel Merino of Arsenal celebrates victory after the Premier League match between Leicester City FC and Arsenal FC at The King Power Stadium on Feb...
Arteta then spoke to reporters and revealed exactly what he had said to Merino on the subject of his ad-hoc switch to centre-forward.
Mikel Arteta said he told Mikel Merino that ‘he was going to score’
Arteta said of Merino that he “didn’t want to drive him crazy” about the positional switch, so he told him in the morning that he “might play there”.
The Arsenal boss then said he had confidently told the Spaniard that he “was going to score” after coming on.
Arteta acknowledged that Merino had never played up front, but said the way the Spain international “can smell danger” and act on it is what prompted the decision.
When asked by TNT Sports what he had told Merino, Arteta replied: “That he was going to score.
“He’s a real goal threat. The moment they started moving deeper and we were more set in the final third, we thought he could deliver those moments. But it’s easier to say it than get it done!
“Because of the height? They are very different. Mikel has never played as a nine. But he has that timing, that smell that he can smell danger, anticipate danger. And then he can execute it.
“It was a lot of debate. I didn’t want to drive him crazy. I said to him this morning that he might play there, we believe he could sit there if the game needed the context. He won the game for us.”
How Merino fared up front for Arsenal
An established striker scoring two goals in a Premier League game is news in itself, but when the player in question is playing up front for the first time ever, that’s pretty remarkable.
Merino stats v Leicester
Minutes played 21′
Goals 2
Expected Goals (xG) 0.84
Touches 16
Accurate passes 6/9 (67%)
Shots on target 2
Ground duels (won) 2 (0)
Aerial duels (won) 3 (2)
Clearances 1
Merino only had 16 touches of the ball, but two of those ended up in the back of the Leicester net, and it could well prove to be a turning point in Arsenal’s season.
Not only does their win against the Foxes keep the pressure on Liverpool, but it also shows that Arsenal have a serious goalscoring threat despite their depleted ranks.
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