Arsenal played Aston Villa on Saturday having already reached an agreement with Real Sociedad for the transfer of Mikel Merino.
This provided a slightly different perspective with which to look at the 2-0 win, focusing on how their midfield was operating and the impact their new signing could have on it rather than simply looking at the result.
Mikel Arteta has selected Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey and Declan Rice as his starting trio at Villa Park.
The Arsenal manager first used the midfielder in August’s Community Shield win over Manchester City, but was unable to use them again until the final five games of the 2023-24 campaign. Partey moved to right-back early in the season, then suffered muscle injuries. The trio worked during that period, but Merino’s arrival should see the unit evolve further, with the performance at Villa Park showing glimpses of both the areas in which they excel and fall short.
Odegaard feels comfortable on the right of the trio. It is Partey and Rice who are in the spotlight. The roles on the left and down the trio are more flexible and although Merino is expected to play on the left, as with Rice, he is capable of playing deeper.
Rice has shone in this more advanced role in 2024, aiding both Arsenal’s off-the-ball pressing and their attack with his off-the-ball movements in the final third. But whether it’s Rice, Kai Havertz, Fabio Vieira, Emile Smith Rowe or even Leandro Trossard who have been used in this role, Arsenal need to improve the fluidity with which they build their attacks down their left side.
A moment in Villa’s victory that demonstrated this came in the first half. As the ball dropped near the halfway line, towards the touchline, Rice naturally touched the ball with his right foot. That touch sent him back as Gabriel Martinelli was ready to sprint behind. Instead, Rice needed two more touches to steady himself on the ball and pass it to Martinelli, who was now coming towards him rather than away. Martinelli received the ball with his back to goal, facing the touchline with a defender at his back. He was tackled.
It may seem minor, but given the thought Arteta puts into passing lanes, these are situations where the left-footed Merino could help speed up Arsenal’s game in possession.
“I don’t like to create (straight) lines between the wide players,” Arteta explained during his coaching tests. “Why? Because the full-back passes to the wide player with his back to goal. He can’t progress the game. There’s always someone on his backside so he can’t play forward.”
“When you do it like that (with the winger coming off the line), the angles you create mean you always receive the ball like that (on the move).”
Arsenal’s best examples of this come down their right flank, with Ben White passing inside for Bukayo Saka to run onto…
Merino is 6’2″ but still agile and technical enough to progress in tight spaces. He also has a more natural forward movement from certain angles, which could work wonders for Arsenal’s left flank.
Instead of needing multiple touches to move the ball forward, Merino can often do it with just two touches. Individually, Martinelli excels at playing fast and loose, but the team as a whole also benefits from lively play and positional rotation.
Below are three examples of how Merino can progress the ball more naturally from the left half-space.
The first example is Spain against Colombia, where he controls a lobbed ball on his chest and passes it to Mikel Oyarzabal on his next touch in a natural and fluid movement. The second example is a pass that cuts through the defence to find a winger who is bursting through against Valencia. In the third example, against Benfica, he claims the ball, takes a touch of the ball and then passes it behind to a central runner, Oyarzabal.
In midfield, timing is everything. Partey started well against Villa, with quick bursts of pace stopping several counter-attacks before they even started. He also showed good self-awareness to cover for Ben White on the touchline when John McGinn threatened in the back. However, as against Wolves, the consistency of decision-making was inconsistent throughout the game.
Late in the first half against Villa, Arsenal were caught between high pressing and contention as their opponents built from goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Gabriel advanced in anticipation of a ball into the centre circle, so Partey dropped into the backline to cover him. The ball did not arrive immediately, so Gabriel dropped back, but Partey failed to get up. Space was left for Morgan Rogers to receive the ball, turn and run towards Arsenal – he then twice got past a retreating Rice before darting past Partey into the box.
Villa, and Rogers in particular, had reason to be encouraged. The 22-year-old was then shown a yellow card for a foul on Rice a few minutes later. He knocked the ball to one side of Partey before going around the other to collect it. Rice then fouled him.
Rice may be more stealthy when used deeper in midfield, but his anticipation makes Arsenal less vulnerable to such breakthroughs. Should Merino slot in on the left, Rice would provide that defensive cover from deeper down the pitch, while also maintaining a vital presence higher up in midfield – Merino ranked first in Europe’s top five leagues for duels won last season (326).
The left flank will also benefit from the presence of Riccardo Calafiori (1.98m), who impressed at Villa Park, at left-back.
With Arteta determined to dominate, if not ‘smother’, opposing teams, Arsenal could end up defending even higher up the pitch – a trend that has been present in each of his full seasons in charge.
This development does not mean that Partey, Jorginho or the Odegaard-Partey-Rice midfield should be immediately dismissed. Partey has shown his value in midfield with his progressive through-balls and well-timed defensive interventions. Jorginho has been exemplary when called upon to play during his 18 months at the club, bringing more calm and control to the midfield while also being an on-field coach for Arteta.
With Partey, who is susceptible to muscle injuries, now 31 and Jorginho 32, managing their involvement will be key for Arteta.
While some may consider it difficult to improve on Arsenal’s 89 points haul last season, it’s important to remember that they achieved that tally despite midfield issues throughout the campaign. Whether it’s the adjustment period with Havertz in the first half of the season or Partey’s availability and inability to really rotate the team, this is another area where Merino’s arrival could have a positive impact.
Should the 28-year-old ever be needed deeper, he is also technically and tactically astute enough to hold his own there, as can be seen below.
Merino will improve Arsenal’s strength in depth and offer a similar versatility to Rice, which Arteta spoke about just a day before the win over Villa.
“At his age it’s a big mistake not to do it or not have the ability to play in different positions,” the Arsenal manager said. “In the game he will have a different role to the opponents and what they do. Last year he showed he has the ability to move from one game to another, sometimes in the same game, and to have players like that in the team is really important.”
Improving on last season’s performances and results may be difficult, but it is possible, as is improving on their run to the Champions League quarter-finals last season. Having another player who can provide what Rice can do, in a slightly more natural way in certain moments of possession, could go a long way towards that improvement.
With Merino’s transfer being made official well before the deadline, the question now is whether that job will begin against Brighton this weekend or after the international break.
(Top photo: Getty Images)
