The gap between the Gunners and Liverpool is now 11 points, which feels like an impossible difference to overcome even though Arteta’s side have a game in hand.
Merson has now had a go at the Arsenal manager for one of his decisions against West Ham United over the weekend.
Paul Merson shares brutal verdict on Mikel Merino playing as Arsenal’s striker
Arsenal are without a recognised striker at the moment.
The Gunners lost Gabriel Jesus to a season-ending injury in January and just over a month later, Kai Havertz suffered the same fate.
Leandro Trossard started as a false-nine against Leicester City, but after Mikel Merino came on as a striker and scored a brace, Arteta decided to give him a chance from the start against West Ham.
That experiment did not work against the Hammers, and Merson has now blasted the Arsenal manager for deploying the midfielder up top.
He has even gone as far as saying that he never wants to see Merino as a striker again.
Merson wrote on Sportskeeda: “I couldn’t believe what Mikel Arteta did the other day by playing Mikel Merino as a striker from the start.
“I know he came on and scored to beat Leicester, but it’s easy to do that when he comes off the bench against a tired team. But to do that against West Ham, my god what was he thinking?
“Merino looked like a fish trying to climb a tree in the last game and I hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Mikel Arteta’s options up top for Nottingham Forest vs Arsenal
Merino wasn’t awful by any means against West Ham.
The Spaniard battled hard at the top end of the pitch in a position which was clearly unnatural to him. He put in a shift, but none of the players behind him made his life any easier.
Merino will remain an option for Arteta up top against Nottingham Forest midweek, as will Trossard if Arteta chooses to move him back to a central role. Raheem Sterling will have to come into the side to facilitate that.
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