“He had a very poor passing accuracy and lost the ball a whopping 16 times, he almost gave Bournemouth a third goal if not for Declan Rice”- Arsenal Legend Arsene Wenger blasts ‘horrible’ Arsenal player who was a huge letdown to his teammates and had a 3/10 display against Bournemouth
‘Ponderous’ Arsenal Man Was a Huge Letdown vs Bournemouth With 3/10 Display
As Mikel Arteta’s title-chasing side succumbed to their first loss of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign – a 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth – Mikel Merino’s troubling start to life in the top flight continued with an ‘absolutely woeful’ display.
Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert notched to deflate a 10-man Arsenal, after William Saliba’s 30th-minute red card, on the south coast with 28-year-old Merino struggling to pull up trees in the English top flight.
Hoping for an easier opening assignment in England’s top division, central midfielder Merino was thrown into the deep end in the absence of Arteta’s creator-in-chief, Martin Odegaard, and marked his first start with a disheartening loss.
The 29-cap Spain international was played out of position, in central attacking midfield, to compensate for the loss of their captain – and struggled with the severe lack of time, especially compared to Spain’s top flight, that he had on the ball.
As a result, Pamplona-born Merino lost possession of the ball on 16 different occasions before being replaced by academy prospect Ethan Nwaneri in the 81st minute. Alongside that, he endured a pass success rate of 68% – 23/34 – which is a concern given his position and role for the north Londoners.
Despite being renowned for his unrivalled duel-winning talent, the former Newcastle United man won just 40% of his ground duels (4/10) and 60% of his aerials (3/5). Football.London, in their player ratings, gave the ex-Real Sociedad man a 5/10 after a tough day in the office. Suggesting that he was a ‘little ponderous in possession’, journalist Kaya Kaynak wrote:
“Not the greatest of full debuts for the Spaniard. A little ponderous in possession on the night. Did run himself into the ground though.”
One aspect of his display that cannot be put into disrepute is his work ethic. Merino was constantly on the move, looking to open space or track a runner, but the added extras – which are so crucial in English football – are yet to be unearthed.
Fans React to Merino’s Performance
‘How did we end up buying Merino? I need to know’
Online, in the wake of the loss, there were plenty of Arsenal supporters who were displeased with the Spaniard’s display at the Vitality Stadium, with one calling him ‘absolutely woeful’, while another said: “He had a bad game. Too slow on the ball.”
“Sluggish. This is not La Liga where you will have all the space in the whole world to make decisions!” another wrote. Simply, one Arsenal supporter praised his ability to win duels but suggested he is substandard when in possession of the ball.
“It’s clear why the only attribute Merino was being gassed up for when we were linked with him was his duel winning ability. On the ball, he’s a bottom half player.”
One even questioned the club’s recruitment strategy, “How did we end up buying Merino? I need to know.”, while another compared his addition to that of a forgettable Arsenal name, “Mikel Merino is a Pablo Mari kind of signing.”
