After being forced to wait for months, Mikel Merino finally got to make his Arsenal debut as he came off the bench during the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain. It was a long time coming for the midfielder, who’d been forced onto the sideline shortly after he moved to the Emirates Stadium with an injury. It came at the perfect time too, with his new team comfortably ahead against their opponents.
The Gunners have started the 2024/25 campaign in fine form. They’ve looked impressive in both the Premier League and the Champions League. They’re yet to taste defeat this season and their excellent run continued with a dominant victory over Ligue 1 powerhouses PSG on Tuesday night.
Goals from Kai Havertz and Bukayo Saka sealed the deal for Arsenal and ensured their opponents went back to France empty-handed. To add the icing on the cake, Merino finally got to make his debut for Mikel Arteta’s side.
How Merino’s Debut Went
The midfielder came off the bench
With Arsenal cruising at 2-0 in the 64th minute, Arteta decided it was time to introduce Merino for the first time as an Arsenal player and he replaced Partey in the middle of the park. Throughout the remainder of the match, he managed to have 16 touches of the ball, but only attempted seven passes, completing six of them.
He was impressive defensively, winning 4/6 of his ground duels, recording two clearances and making three tackles throughout his cameo. He lost possession three times and looked a little tired quite quickly, but having been out of action for such a significant portion of time, these are things that can only be cured through more time on the pitch going forward. As far as debuts go, it could have been better, but it also could have been much worse.
Arsenal fans have been quick to jump on social media and share their thoughts about his first outing as one of their own and opinions are split.
Opinions Were Mixed on Merino’s Debut
There were a variety of reactions
There was a lot of hype surrounding Merino’s arrival at Arsenal in the summer and fans have waited eagerly to see their new man in action. While he only featured in the last half an hour or so of the contest, it was enough for supporters to head online and give their opinion on what they’d seen.
One fan called the midfielder ‘very rusty’, something which is to be expected after being out of action for several months. Another supporter agreed that Merino’s first 10 minutes on the pitch were rough, but he’d picked things up as the night wore on, saying: “Merino had a slow first 10 mins adjusting to the game state, but he’s been class since, wow.”
His positioning was called into question by one X user, who felt he was a little lost at times on the pitch, saying: “Merino looked a little lost positionally. I understood him to be a box-to-box, elite passer, decent defender. Seems like his passing ability may have been overstated a little. Might be more useful in the 6.”
His introduction into the game told one fan who exactly he’d be replacing in the side, but the supporter also highlighted the fact it was his first game back and said: “Mikel Merino coming on showed who’s going to get dropped. It’s just a matter of time before he starts cooking. First game back from injury. An okay game overall.”
All statistics courtesy of SofaScore and accurate as of 01/10/2024
About Author
