Mik Merino: Page 30 - The Arsenal discussion forum and community: One More in the Tolly

Mik Merino

Qwiss

Sicario2 also does what big players do and even when not at his best makes an impact.

MistaT

I loved his goal today, and its just another reminder of how sharp of a player he is. Exactly the mindset that you want in bench/fringe players.

Just great cerebral awareness of what was expected of him. He's close Ode/Saka when Saka gets on it, sees Saka is working towards a cross, and immediately works to get in position.

HomeSteak

30 G/A in 2025 lol
He might just be our best striker

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

HomeSteak Spain matches included right?

MistaT

Does he already have the best season ever by an Arsenal “utility” player?

Who else had epic ones?

Kanu in 1999 was more of a starter than utility player.

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert

MistaT does Trossard count in his first half-season?

Sicario2

MistaT edu in 2003/2004.

Love Merino, he’s the model pro. If he had pace he would be world class. Gyo can learn a lot from him.

The guy is a machine, this is the type of squad players that wins you leagues.

TambourineMan

Let's hope he gets the 'and it's Wiltorddddd' moment for us this season.

banduan

Bring Back Kerrea Gilbert yes

CPM

Merino is better than Edu was. Or more impactful maybe, so many decisive moments from him.

Mirth

Merino would be one of our best players at any point between 2008 and 2020.

Sicario2

Merino = most intelligent player in our squad

Big Willie

Sicario2 lol was a good pass, but saying Merino forced Saka to make that run is a stretch. The run made the pass much easier that it would have been had not done it.

est

Sicario2 Saka was expecting it to be Odegaard, so he made himself ready to receive the ball on the outside. When he looked back and saw it was Merino on the ball, he thought: "Damn, he may even play the pass! Might as well try and run in behind."

Qwiss

Sicario2 "Forces" Saka to make the run by playing the ball where Saka pointed for him to play the ball 😆

Anyway yeah Merino is incredibly intelligent as a footballer. He doesn't have the agility and speed of so many other players but the way he reads situations is amazing.

Klaus

Pausa haha. Merino is just deciding who to stick that ball on and Saka runs in behind Collins so he gets the pass.

Both of those offensive runs are top-notch from Saka and Gyökeres: regardless of who gets the ball there will be a player left unmarked. Look at how free Gyökeres is when Saka opts to shoot instead. It would have been the same if the ball had gone the other way. One of the big disadvantages of three at the back: defenders get sucked in too easily.

Dom

One thing I notice about Merino when watching him on TV vs. at the game is how much he puts his body on the line, which sometimes isn't apparent on TV. While our other midfielders were languishing tonight, this guy ran and pressed non-stop and went into every challenge and duel without any lingering apprehension from almost having his career ended by Caicedo a few days ago. His fitness is incredible.

JazzG

Tactically such a switched on player, you can see why Arteta and the Spanish coach think highly of him and trust him. An absolute beast in the air as well. Guy will finish his time with cult hero status for us.

Phil

This team is starting to gather together some fantastic squad/bench players, like White, Hincapie, Merino, Martinelli, Trossard, Havertz, who I would trust in an instant to step into the first 11 or to make a proper contribution off the bench. I'm not sure I have felt that way in 20 years watching Arsenal. Merino has been running his heart out in recent games.

Klaus

Phil Definitely. There has always been the occasional Wiltord or Parlour that you felt would be dependable if they came on, but never this many at the same time.

Segway

This guy is top class and looks much more confident in his new role now.

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