5/5 tackles, 10 duels won: Mikel Arteta praises "incredible" £31m Arsenal star, describes him as "defensive nine"

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta heaped praise on Mikel Merino after the club’s thumping 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.

The Gunners went into the north London derby as favourites, but they had to wait until the 36th minute to break the deadlock through Leandro Trossard.

Merino was the key catalyst behind the goal. The Spaniard delivered a sublime lob pass behind Spurs’ defence for Trossard, who opened the scoring with the help of a deflection.

Arsenal controlled proceedings thereafter. Eberechi Eze scored on either side of the break. Spurs reduced the deficit with a stellar long-range goal from Richarlison in the 55th minute.

However, the Gunners regained composure to seal a 4-1 win. Eze completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, and could have easily scored another. Guglielmo Vicario pulled off a superb save.

Speaking after the derby, Arteta was posed with plenty of questions. One of those was centered around Merino, who had another impressive performance as a makeshift striker for the Gunners.

The manager said: “Yes, I think he was incredible again, and we are asking him to feel as a nine, and he’s not a nine, and to do a lot of the things that a nine has to do.

“But he’s such an intelligent player, and his work ethic and his desire to contribute and make others better is that big.

“And again, those performances give you all the right reason to continue to trust him.”

When asked to describe his position, Arteta added: “I don’t know, a defensive nine.”

Arsenal delivered a stupendous display at the Emirates Stadium and have now moved six points clear of second-placed Chelsea. They face the Blues at Stamford Bridge this weekend.

Prior to that, the Gunners have a huge Champions League clash against Bayern Munich at home on Wednesday. It promises to be another entertaining affair, given the fine form of both clubs.

Arteta said yesterday that Viktor Gyokeres was not far from returning to the matchday squad after injury. If the Swede is fit, he could be eased back into action from the substitutes’ bench.

Merino may not be everyone’s favourite for the number nine position, but the Spanish ace continues to answer his critics whenever asked to play as the emergency centre-forward at Arsenal.

Aside from his assist, Merino won 100 percent of his tackles (5/5) and 10 duels. He also made four recoveries and dropped into a midfield role when Spurs had periods of possession.

The £31 million-rated star looks poised to lead the line against the German champions. The Gunners will be eyeing their first win over Bayern in six attempts, having previously won in 2015.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com & Sofascore.com

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