Why Arsenal Want Mikel Merino So Badly
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
- Arsenal's on/off transfer saga of Mikel Merino looks like reaching a positive conclusion, with the Spaniard odds-on to join The Gunners. But why have Arteta, and the club, been so relentless in their pursuit of a player who occupies, arguably, their most well-stocked position? Adam Clery explains why, despite not having a guaranteed starting spot, Merino could be the final piece in Arsenal's midfield puzzle.
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🏃 Hello! As mentioned, I'm doing the Great North Run in September to raise money for Mind. They provide vital mental health services in the UK, and I can personally attest to him important that can be for people. A small amount goes way further than you might think, so any donations are enormously appreciated. Thank you
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go for it champ
Exactly. Man City have two first teams. To finish above them other teams will need two too
Blame the govermenr
"athlete, genius, bastard" you did it, you broke the 3-man midfield down to its bare essentials
@@ParisianWeetabix might do a t-shirt
Yes do it I'll buy it 😂@@FourFourTwo
Patrick Viera was all three
@@sparkycjsYeah but forget that era...now you just divide...
@@FourFourTwoplease do make it, I’m for one who will pre-pre order it because it’s speaks volumes 😂
0:41 “Athlete, Genius, Bastard” I’m stealing that 😂
Which one is your mum?
You're a clown for this comment @@justicedemocrat9357
The one pegging ur dad@@justicedemocrat9357
Best proper football analysis anywhere. That's TV, web, print. Nice one FourFourTwo. Grateful Gooner here.
Biggest and most important difference between Rice and Merino is that Merino is left footed. Dynamics work a lot better in the final third and it will allow martinelli to not always be hugging the touchline or be isolated
great note
Dynamics with better? So Ødegaard would be better if he was a righty? Nonsense
@@kunimitsune177I mean, in some situations I would prefer if he was a righty. So many chances he gets in the box where he could take the shot in a good position with his right but fumbles around and loses the chance because he wants to get it onto his left. See both games against villa last season.
@@kunimitsune177indeed, Odegaard in the left hand side would upgrade the attacking dynamics, giving less attention to Saka so that he can spam with less defenders, as well as engaging Martinelli/Trossard and Havertz quicker
@@kunimitsune177 If odegaard was right footed Ben white would not always need to overlap Saka. In fact Odegaard would be a good LCM; Look at his assist vs Porto or for Havertz vs Chelsea
Rice will be the No.6 DM.
Merino will be the left sided 8. Arteta loves keeping things unpredictable sonthey can swap roles mid game depending on in game tactics. He can also play as a double pivot with Rice and Odegaard in the No.10. Fantastic signing. That's a strong midfield 🙌
Surprised people think Merino's coming in as the 6. He's clearly the LCM.
nope, watch the pre season games where Rice was involved, he played LCM and joined in the attack, he was not playing the deep role. if he were going to play 6 he would have done so in pre-season
Merino literally can't play as a 6,he,s a lcm 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣party was playing in those games,that's why
How do people still not realize that Arteta rarely signs a player to play one position? Who were last season's signings? Timber, Havertz and Rice. Timber can play anywhere across the backline, but no one thought he was coming in to play LB.
Havertz is an AM who ended up playing CM and CF. And Rice played 6 and 8, but was often popping up in different places on the pitch during gameplay. This season, Calafiori can play CB and LB. But who knows? He may even end up playing DM.
Except for the GK position, Arteta doesn't sign players to play positions, he signs them to do jobs. For example, Havertz was brought in mostly for his off the ball movement, but his position on the pitch was about experimenting to see where he made the biggest positive impact, and who he formed the best connections with.
@@henryodera5726 Timber played? Havertz was always a utility attacking player. Rice is just a positionally clueless CM who isn't good at anything, in reality, beyond the overrated hype.
@@goatlps My comment was that "Arteta rarely signs players to play one position". Whether Rice is "clueless" or not has nothing to do with Arteta intentionally choosing to play him in various positions throughout the season.
Rice can play CB, DM, CM. Havertz can play CM, AM, ST. Timber can play RB, CB, LB. Calafiori can play CB, LB, and potentially even DM. Merino can play DM, CM, and who knows if Arteta might try and play him elsewhere, just like he tried Partey at RB last season?
My point is that this is intentional from Arteta. He's not accidentally signing players who can play multiple positions, or accidentally training players like Ben White to play multiple positions. It's part of his footballing philosophy that players should as positionally versatile as possible, because even during games, he requires those players to rotate a lot.
Arsenal has so much depth in goal, defense and midfield. However we need that same depth in attack. That attack area can make the biggest difference.
Exactly, Saka has to play every game again, nelson is a huge downgrade and just doesn't know how to play the position. I don't know why we can't buy a rw/stk
@@ibizawavey8630Mohammed Kudus comes to mind.
Versatile, strong, skillful and EPL proven.
In time we will,after we sort the midfield, we will focuss on annupgrade for attack, real upgrades you need someone better than saka [ not easy to find] , you need someone better than jesus [ not easy or cheap to find] finally a martinelli/trosad upgrade [ not cheap either.]
Toney is a good player but not sure his attitude will......COYG
Yeah i dont know whu arsenal didnt bid him last season when he was on Ajax. Its quite cheap back then for player caliber if him@@josephsuccess5035
Can we talk about Kudus being #2 in the duels won statistic? That's wild
Very!!!!!!!!
Kudus is a baller
Most of his duels won are offensive. Merino wins both offensive and defensive.
@@alexanderomucheyi1857 because hes a winger blud 😭
What does being a winger have to do with anything 🤣🤣🤣🤣or what do u think duels are?
who else isn't a fan of the Adidas fully transparent shoulder stripe template?
That was bothering me throughout Adam's video...
Your mum
I know we have a good midfield, and other areas are our priority to strengthen - but as a fellow newcastle fan - I so agree with you - gutted he's coming to a different premier league team
That additional ariel threat is a fantastic option to have. It's something Arteta shares with Pep, just packing the team with players strong in the air. Califiori has come in with that ariel presence too, certainly more than Zinni.
He’s big. He’s athletic. He’s a dueling monster. And he’s also quite good at football. Natural upgrade on what Xhaka used to do
On the ball skills matters.. xhaka is soo good on the ball .. merino is a good squad player .. that's all
@@vipinjacob6072 I think Merino is miles better in the air and seems bit more athletic
@@vipinjacob6072If you think Xhaka is technically better than Merino you are smoking........
@@jordandavis3867are you serious?😂
@jordandavis3867 did you not see the video. Most of where Merino excels is off the ball/duels. Xhaka is a far better ball striker and has a better engine.
as a magpies fan I favour you more out of the two adams, amazing video as always!
as an arsenal fan i concur
No, because it's not video about him; however I feel like he's a bit unappreciated, really great baller
@@RomaInvicta202 baller?
Isn't Merino more like an upgrade on Xhaka? Doesn't have the same passing range but he does have the dynamism and superior tackling ability.
With Real Sociedad he likes to bomb forward and spends time in the opposition box.
I think having watched those clips of Merino and Calafiori .. i would suggest Arteta is trying to get players who are willing to stuck in when things gets tough ... "small fine margins " that he keeps on referring to... because if you look at Arsenal they only got ball players but not players who are willing to stuck in when required.
Plus more set play goals
I’m pretty sure Rice is going back to the defensive midfielder as he was when he signed trying to have Havertz fill xhaka’s role. Now Merino is coming to fill that left midfielder role and Rice starting the ball from the back. Also with Arsenal’s high pressure, Merino pressing on top and recovering closer to opponent’s box will allow us to score more goals
I have a feeling the idea is Rice, Merino and Ødegaard. Merino isn't great statistical passer but the eye test shows ability to hit lethal passes and reminder Zubimendi had very low progressive passing statistics so I think it's just a Sociedad thing
Right now the team is Partey, Rice and Ødegaard
Crazy that Arsenal’s best 6 who is partey, was not mentioned once in this video
I was waiting for his name
i think youtubers do this intentionally i don't know why they always left our best midfielder
He's not our best player, being available for just 6 games in 38 doesn't make him the best
@@jacobalexander4167 I didn’t say he’s our best player. I said he’s our best 6
@@vuyani6729 no he's not and if he is that explains why we still haven't won the league, because he's average when it comes to defending, something that is crucial to how arteta plays, we have ødegaard, saliba, timber, zinchenko and jorginho that can do what partey does, but we don't have anyone in that midfield that can replicate what rice brings to the table, that's why we didn't struggle in games jorginho filled in for partey but we look mid against spurs when rice was subbed off for injury
How these pundits conveniently leave Thomas Partey out of every first Arsenal 11 is mind-boggling.
I would have done the same.
The guy can’t even run anymore.
That's what I kept thinking. Believe he starts when fit. Did last season.
Becouse he has lost his pace and is not the same guy as before.
He kept turning over the ball against wolves. His legs are done. It's no shame.
He had skills and experiences, but despite losing his running power, he play like he still had it.
He would better survive in this team if he somehow able to change his play style to accommodate his shortcoming.
Hopefully he (and coaches) able to changes that.
Hey Adam, thanks for these videos, they're ace!! Given that 9 Basque footballers were in the Spain Euro 2024 squad and 3 of the most talked about transfers this summer, Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Nico Williams are Basque! Any chance you could do a video on how good a Basque National team could be? Cheers mate, keep the Great work 👍
This!!
I think it has gone unnoticed that Partey has once again had a full and decent pre season just like 22/23. His role is underrated
I think his injury history is why he gets less look in these days
Another reason why it doesn’t matter if his progressive passing isn’t the best is that Zinny and Ødegaard are involved in the build up a lot.
Wow, this is my first time on this channel and you really know your stuff! Excellent stuff.
Awesome as always. 👍 keep up the good work fella.
Amazing video, this makes so much sense. I imagine in some games Merino will be playing as LAM and Partey as a number 6 to give Rice some rest
I wonder why hasn't Arsenal conclude the Merino transfer yet, it's been dragging on for weeks
It's done now
Arteta is mad man, he loves his duels
Arsenal's squad last season was really not ready to compete with City in terms of depth. City had 100m pound players siting on the bench. You just can't compete with that.
He might be a Xhaka upgrade while also great at 6. He as starting or bench will make other team confuse just like several players in Arsenal squad. When he is coming onto the pitch, drastic tactic will be deployed. So much so left wing would be alive than ever.
I've been occasionally watching real sociedad for the past few seasons and merino was really an integral part of them, I'm glad he's finally getting the spotlight he deserves
Mikel Arteta's positionless football approach emphasizes rotation, and I believe this tactic will be crucial this season. Merino's aerial presence offers a significant threat from crosses into the box, particularly when combined with Martinelli and Bukayo’s exceptional delivery from both flanks. Conversely, Martinelli's ability to strike the ball with precision from the edge of the box makes him a formidable force. By rotating between Merino and Martinelli on the left flank, we can create a devastating dynamic that oppositions will struggle to cope with. Merino's aerial expertise and Martinelli's shooting prowess will keep defenses guessing, making it challenging for them to anticipate our next move. This tactical flexibility, combined with the midfield trio of Partey, Rice, and Martin, could be the key to unlocking our full potential and dominating games this season. Thus I speculate that Merino may be here to play a hybrid role of an half 8 and half 9.
To everybody saying Partey is been disrespected, we rate him highly, we love him, but it is what it is right now, facts over sentiment is what can win us trophy, would you have stuck with koscielny when he lost form coz he used to be arsenal sweetheart (dunno a perfect example, lol)partey is not what he used to be and that's part of football,its understandable ,against wolves imagine if it was against a top team?, d slightest lapse in concentration or confidence can get you punished and points lost? ( and he has been like that since his return 4rm injury last season which dosent instill enough confidence, You can't prioritize a player who isn't who he used to be , of course he can fight his way back if he returns to form
It is not so badly is that we just want and need him
He's not coming in to play the no. 6 role, he's coming in to warm the bench!
I think it's Rice 6 and Merino 8. Rice is the best destroyer 6 in the world and his build up issues are from an effective press. That press can be bypassed with Raya > Merino and Havertz. Merino is simply also a better creator and ball player in the final third.
With the squad they have now, Arsenal MUST win something next season, and Arteta MUST rotate his squad. No excuse for running his starters into the ground like he did last season.
Unfortunately I feel like Saka is gonna be dying every second game. Nelson would have to somehow step up a lot
I believe Merino to be the new LCM, swapping with Odegaard allowing both to create so much confusion in that final third.
Artetas ideology relies on players being able to adopt and accommodate multiple positions during the match. Odegaard is a great example of that, he can play high up, wide and even deep, Rice is also a great example of that, Partey is arguably okay. But Jorginho is not, he no longer is comfortable playing up high but Merino is competent to do so. That's what Arteta needs plain and simple.
As you have mentioned before as good as Declan Rice is, he has shown he struggles to progress the ball effectively as a single pivot as we saw in the first half of last season and for England at times. Be interesting to see if they play a double pivot in build up once Merino is there, otherwise I could see them struggling a little again. Especially if Zinchenko comes out for Califori as expected.
Nice analysis, but I think he'll help in games Arteta had to drop Havertz in the middle. He'd complement Calafiori or Zinchenko like Xhaka used to do because he was left footed as well.
Thanks Adam, certainly the type of one signing dynamism preserved for the more matured projects in a league.
Hi Adam, Thabang Here, big fan from South Africa.
I think we (Arsenal) need a Saka back up, and still need another left 8 (to debutise for Merino) - so Rice can focus on being a complete 6. Partey his number two.
Reo Hatate. He would not mind being number two at Arsenal, and on relatively low wages. He is your Philippe Coutinho, Désiré Doué, and Jamal Musiala type of wild card special talent attacker for number the left 8.
Please check out Reo Hatate
Adam i salute you. That will have been tough to do as he was a NUFC player. Great analysis, you keep it fun and show us who he really is. Bastardo is Spanish for bastard so hope we get!
Congrats with Mind. You are a great, wonderful human being. Cheers big man.💚
First time watching the channel (even though I used to buy the magazine). Love that he is using subbuteo players
keep up with the edits bro 👊
thanks for getting us through the off season - cant wait for your analysis of Arteta ball 2025
Players get better at Arsenal... He's going to improve even more
Regarding Merinos perceived lack of ball advancement, that might be where the Italian Stallion behind him comes in, leaving Merino to do his destructive core tasks.
Mikel was a great DM back at newcastle under a poor system. He will thrive in arsenal
Doing that whole video without really mentioning Partey seems odd, the whole system is born out of his skillset, but I guess most have written him off and think he's going to be injured all year. I think it was obvious last year that Arteta had developed a system that was reliant on Partey being able to play as a lone 6. The whole team become super confident and we step up 10 yards when he plays. Partey doesn't really rack up the stats listed for challenges, duels etc because he picks up so many loose and second balls and runs forward, breaking through the lines - his passes can even be sideways/backwards after but it doesn't matter because he's turned the game on its head, generating a numerical advantage in the final 3rd. When he was out, Jorginho didn't offer as much and we lost 4 league games with Rice as the 6 - the whole team looked lost with him there because he vacates the centre when attacking (leading to a hole during turnovers) and won't take the ball off the defenders in tight spaces. I suspect we'll see a double pivot with Rice and Merino as the season progresses, allowing Odegaard to roam both sides a bit more. But, it wouldn't surprise me to see it evolve into more of a triple pivot, like the one we saw a few times with Arteta, Song, and Rosicky (watching them switch positions all game was beautiful football). If Partey stays fit however, I don't think anyone really dislodges him for a while. Kinda think Partey, Merino, Odegaard is probably the best option if everyone is fit and on form.
Merino offers technical security plus size and physicality.....he is Jorginho but bigger and stronger and more imposing. Intimidation factor is key for top teams and Arsenal have alot of that in midfield and defence. If we can add that similar factor in our attack like a strong lethal striker I don't think there is a team on the planet that will want to play us.
"Here we go..."
-Fabrizio
There we land
His defending percentage is more similar to Jorginho than to the top No 6s, except for aerial duels. More combative , but not winning enough. He could be danderous for us, replacing Partey when injured.
Great vid
- stats presenter here -
your charts would be easier to read if you labelled them with a header (ie. Merino and Jorginho).
The disrespect they showing to Thomas Partey who at his best is better than all Arsenal’s midfield is crazy
Nate, aside from the goal this past game, Partey looked bad. Was getting beat, showed he's lost a step, and was struggling to progress the ball forward.
@@Jkev24 shows you don’t know anything about football. Let see how this Merino guy does first, Rice has been awful this season but you all are going after Partey. Fickle football fan you are, there is a reason Arteta wants him there still
@@johnny9092 Well you're blind if you think Partey looked good this last game. And the only reason why Partey is still here is because we can't find anyone to buy an injury prone player on his wages!
Use common sense, mate!
@@Jkev24 thanks for the insult hope you have a good day. No! Arteta has always said he want him at Arsenal, as you have an infinite wisdom so you know better I guess.
Its hard to trust a man in an NYC shirt but that was actually pretty good hehe. Thanks
Looked a lot like Adam was fading into the background but realized the adidas stripes on his left sleeve is green so its merging with the green screen
Damn, this guy was entertaining to watch - subscribed!
Is it just me, or does that NYC kit have mirrored elements on the template? If so, that is pretty genius. Adidas should incorporate that in some of their wcup kits in 2026..
The guy is coming to be a starter in the left 8 role. He is way better than Rice in that role. The guy can pass. We are not talking volumes but defence splitting chances. You also forgot to bring Partey into the equation who when fully fit is ahead of Jorginho.
What a gem you are! Again.
Great video! Can you do a video on Dominic Calvert-Lewin - what's he's worth, whether a big club might take him, whether he is really the quality player he seemed to be in 2020, before the injuries.... Thanks!
its absurd the way we completely ignore Thomas Partey
I believe that a lot of it will be to try and fix the issue with Martinellie.
Rice will go back to the 6 role where he is best at and Merino will play the left 8 role. Also I don't think people realise how good Merino is at passing. He completes 39 passes per 90 yet does 18 forward passe and 6 progressive passes. That's a lot for someone who has so little of the ball. Imagine him now in a possession team.
He will improve his game if he go to Arsenal. That's a win move for him to become a better player.
Arteta won't use a 4-2-3-1 just forget about it
Arsenal won liverpool using double pivot, its not like a 4-2-3-1, is more like a 4-2-2-2 with 2 CAM (odegard and kai) and Saka and Martinelli wide
@@JoaoVitor-sf2vv You are right though
@JoaoVitor-sf2vv
Wrong.
We've not played anything but 4-3-3 since we switched to it. Not once.
@@kunimitsune177 we dont play a 433 nor a 4231 nor a 4222, our system is constantly interchangeable mid game with different formations that arent very fifa-like.
I want everyone in Arsenal is named Mikel or Michael.
9:49 that pass is Guti level
i would still play jorginho, last game against villa you need someone like him to break the defensive linea
People just assuming Calafiore will be the 1st choice left back. Crazy how Timber is being overlooked. Timber will claim that position, or usurp Ben White at rb.
Been missing this channel
why do people now think Rice is an 8? He's a 6, he's only there because there isn't anyone else to play left 8. Rice really offers nothing at the left 8 tbh. Merino will play the left 8 and Rice will go back to 6 where he can maximise his best skills, which is coverage and progression.
Probably because Rice struggled as a 6 last season and was one of the biggest reasons why Jorginho got so much playing time.
Man just predicted merino to get the no 10 jersey its possible after smith rowe left for fulham,but i doubt it maybe he'll go for another number
Love your videos Adam especially the Arsenal ones
You are great bro god bless you, I in joy watching your videos & learned a lot thanks for your effort ‼️ 🙏❤️🙏
NOT for once did you mention THOMAS PARTEY during your analysis instead. Thats wild
The only player we don't have an alternative is odegaard
ethan young star
He gives Arteta a lot of options
I can tell the level of analysis of the content when they say he’s coming to play 6. Merino is coming to play as a number 8
No one knows that for sure except the manager... We'll find out as soon as we see the starting line up, if we sign him...
@@elvispeterkitone4678 I can guarentee you he won’t play lone 6
merino will replace granit xhaka as a progressive 8.
As good as Declan Rice is he does not unlock martinelli.
I dont agree that we have enough depth in midfield. If Odeegard is injured who is the creative spark we have. Merino will be a good addition if we can get him
vieira could potentially replace him
Merino is going to be the LCM starter this season
Rice on 6 and Merino on 8
How old is this video? In this video ESR is still on bench ?
Great analysis and mixed with wit😅
Watching this Just a week before he officially signed!
😂😂Weird shaped head got me
I remember Nickolas Pepe also had the same stats when he came to Arsenal and ended up being one of the worst signings in history
Great insight. But Rice will be playing 6. Merino will be playing left 8
He's coming in as a rotational option for Declan Rice. There's no chance he plays as a 6 if Partey is fit...
I think he will play the role of granit xhaka he used to release martenelli early 2 seasons ago and from the last two seasons Martinelli is not a threat , similar to david luiz whose long balls released saka early
Pich is working well shout out to Subbuteo Worldwide And Chris tanner-good work and making it happen
awesome kit!!! NYCFC 👊🔵⚪
why does arsenal on paper seem insane, like all amazing young players in every position mad...
Lmaoo now folks are starting to see what Arteta is cooking. We did almost slay the mighty pep and haaland last season
@@squeezewilliams3003 yh well can’t lie anyone else except City right now would be a win
Chill out, Partey Rice Odegaard is still the best midfield... But Merino's job is to replace any or all of them as soon as there's a need.
Yes Partey wasn't brilliant looking since coming back from injury but he hasn't cost us any points, and if he finds his top form he's almost on Rodri level.
Top video
In conclusion, he's a Trossard-esque signing for the midfield.
Great analysis but the disrespect to Partey is not on. Not even a mention
The problem is that Partey barely played last season because of injury and fans have poor memories.