Mikel Arteta urged to drop £32m star to save Arsenal’s season
Paul Merson has urged Mikel Arteta to make a change to Arsenal’s frontline ahead of their Champions League knockout game against PSV.
The Gunners travel to Eindhoven on Tuesday night for the first leg of their Champions League last-16 clash with Eredivisie giants PSV.
Barring a miraculous comeback in the Premier League title race, the Champions League offers Arsenal their last chance of silverware this season, with Arteta’s side already out of both domestic cups.
Arsenal are favourites to progress but Merson expects it to be a ‘dangerous game’ for his former club given their injury crisis and lack of firepower up top.
A string of injuries to attacking players has led Mikel Merino playing as a striker recently but Merson ‘can’t get his head around’ that tactic and wants Raheem Sterling to start instead of Arsenal’s £32m midfielder.
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Sterling has endured a dismal spell at the Emirates Stadium following a loan move from London rivals Chelsea but Merson still believes defenders would rather come up against Merino than the ‘lively’ England international.
‘This would be a nice draw for Arsenal if they had a full team but with no firepower now, I don’t see them blowing PSV away,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘It’s turned into a tricky tie.
‘Arsenal have failed to score in their last two games and they only scored against Leicester, who have been letting goals in for fun, in the last 10 minutes.
‘I hope Mikel Arteta stops playing Mikel Merino up front. I can’t get my head around that one. I know he came on against Leicester and scored twice but Leicester are Leicester, they’re not very good.
‘I would play Raheem Sterling up front. He’s lively. Defenders will be happy to play against Merino every day of the week. He’s not a centre forward. At least Sterling’s played up there before.
‘This is going to be a dangerous game. I’d expect Arsenal to go through but I don’t think it’s as much of a foregone conclusion as what it was. I can see it going a long way.’
Arsenal are 13 points behind Premier League leaders Liverpool but Merson still believes his former club have a better chance of winning the title than the Champions League.
’The title race is gone and this is their season now but even after this, they’re right up against it,’ he added.
‘They’ve still got to play Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid in the quarter-finals – and Real would outscore Arsenal.
‘Then they’ve got to play Liverpool or whoever in the semi-finals. It’s probably easier to win the league and they’re 13 points behind.
‘A bad 45 minutes could send you out of the competition. I don’t see Arsenal blowing anybody away in 45 minutes. Arsenal just don’t have the firepower to do that.’
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