In Arsenal’s tense meeting with Newcastle on Tyneside, 12BSports coverage captured a match that ended with more frustration than answers. Mikel Arteta had hoped Merino, who once played for Newcastle, could become an escape route for his side, but reality told a different story. Aside from two wasteful shots, Merino produced few memorable moments and was substituted after just 60 minutes, with his poor display seeming to reflect Arsenal’s overall lack of energy.
Only a month earlier, Arsenal had struggled at home against bottom-placed Southampton despite dominating possession, conceding in careless fashion and losing control of the game. In that match, Arteta removed Jesus, Sterling, and Jorginho after a difficult first half and sent on Merino. The midfielder then started three consecutive games, but Arsenal dropped as many as eight points across those fixtures. The red card at Bournemouth offered some context, and the draw against Liverpool was understandable, but the defeat to Newcastle left no room for excuses.
From a 12BSports point of view, Arsenal’s defense remains among the strongest in the league, but a title-chasing team needs far more daring attacking play. This summer, two players who drew attention during the European Championship joined the squad, and Merino was expected to add creativity in advanced midfield areas. At first, Arsenal seemed to maintain their attacking edge even without the injured Martin Odegaard, beating Tottenham, scoring against Manchester City, and cruising past Leicester. After that, however, the same frustrating pattern began to repeat.
Surprisingly, Merino looked brighter as an impact substitute than as a starter. Since scoring a dramatic goal against Germany at the Euros, he has looked almost as if he used up all his luck in one moment, leaving Arsenal fans deeply disappointed. Still, it would be unfair to place all the blame on him. Against Bournemouth, he recorded the most tackles and interceptions for Arsenal and even produced a meaningful shot, showing that his effort was not entirely absent.
After the match, Arteta sharpened his tone by saying that the decisive pass was not coming, and many interpreted that as a message aimed at Merino. Even with Rice and Thomas supporting from deeper positions, there is a growing view that Merino alone cannot reverse the flow of a match. With competition fierce among Arsenal’s attacking options, he needs to combine with Rice and help fill Odegaard’s creative void, but for now, that responsibility appears too heavy.
His slow tempo has been identified as a weakness since he first stepped onto the English stage. Recently, Arsenal’s growing number of taller players has slowed the team’s overall rhythm, which has partly hidden Merino’s limitations, but the tactical problem remains. Manchester City and Liverpool have succeeded by blending height with pace, while Arteta is still searching for the finished product.
Just as City have Ake and Akanji and Liverpool have Alexander-Arnold as key parts of their back-line structure, Arsenal are still trying to complete the puzzle between defensive stability and quick transitions. Merino is not yet the centerpiece of that system. Arteta viewed him as an alternative to Odegaard, but the reality has been harsh. After the departures of Vieira and Smith Rowe, Merino and Trossard were asked to take on the number 10 role, yet both fell short of expectations, and Arsenal’s creativity in open play dropped sharply.
Even against Southampton, Arsenal created repeated set-piece chances midway through the first half, but Merino’s shot was blocked by the opposing defense. As the saying goes, every ounce of effort can eventually return as a remarkable result, and within 12BSports analysis, Arsenal will need far more refined set-piece plans to break down Newcastle’s compact defensive wall in the future. This is no longer a time for simple direct runs; Arsenal urgently need precise tactics that can find and punish the smallest gaps.