Arsenal 0-1 West Ham: Mikel Merino ‘false nine’ experiment fails as Hammers deal blow to Gunners’ title hopes
Since joining Arsenal from Real Sociedad last summer and returning to the Premier League, Mikel Merino has struggled to secure a spot in the starting lineup. However, after a series of attacking injuries and a clever tactical adjustment from Mikel Arteta against Leicester, there seemed to be hope for him. Unfortunately, that was dashed by West Ham this afternoon.
Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, who could play in the ‘number nine’ role for the Gunners, have been ruled out until next season. This opened the door for Merino, who came on in the final 20 minutes against Leicester in a ‘false nine’ role, scoring twice as the Gunners secured a 2-0 victory, keeping their slim championship hopes alive.
The Spaniard, who arrived to strengthen Arteta’s midfield options, trained in a more advanced position heading into this weekend’s fixture, indicating the likelihood of playing in a centre-forward role. This was clearly not the original plan to replace Havertz, as Arteta had chosen his three fit forwards to start last weekend. However, with two-thirds of that front line underperforming—Raheem Sterling’s depleted confidence and Leandro Trossard’s struggles as a false nine were evident to see—the adjustment with Merino became the go-to option.
Merino started against the Hammers, but his performance in the first half left much to be desired. No player in an Arsenal jersey touched the ball fewer times than the Euro 2024 winner, with only 16 touches. He completed just 8 out of 12 passes, resulting in the lowest passing accuracy at 66.7%. In contrast, Martin Ødegaard, Declan Rice, and even left-back Riccardo Calafiori each produced more lay-off passes than Merino, who registered none. This is particularly concerning, as one would expect the player leading the attack to excel in this metric.
He finished the game with the fewest touches (35) and accurate passes (19) of any Arsenal starter, and he was the only player with a passing accuracy of 79.2%, below the 80% mark. His four aerial duels won were overshadowed by the fact that he completed zero lay-off passes and missed one big chance from two shots on goal, neither of which were on target.
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While using a makeshift option for a game or two is one thing, it’s another to expect Merino to take on this new responsibility and thrive for a third of the season. Arteta will undoubtedly have to reevaluate his strategy, as the Gunners’ hopes of ending a 21-year title drought seem to be fading.
In contrast, West Ham’s two forwards were lively throughout Graham Potter’s 5-3-2 system. Mohammed Kudus consistently attacked the Arsenal backline, while skipper Jarrod Bowen put the visitors in front with a close header from an Aaron Wan-Bissaka cross.
To freshen things up, Arteta substituted former Hammers captain Declan Rice and Calafiori, bringing on Oleksandr Zinchenko and Myles Lewis-Skelly. However, Lewis-Skelly received a red card for denying Kudus a goalscoring opportunity. This incident naturally brought Arsenal’s disciplinary record back into the spotlight.
FT: Arsenal 0-1 West Ham
The Hammers win back-to-back PL away games vs. the Gunners for the first time since 2007. #ARSWHU pic.twitter.com/ofdjQ7JD2w
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) February 22, 2025
This was Arsenal’s fifth sending-off this season, two more than any other team. Although Lewis-Skelly’s infamous dismissal against Wolves was subsequently rescinded, it is unlikely that this red card will be overturned. As a result, they’ve now accumulated 20 Premier League red cards since Arteta took charge in north London, significantly more than any other club.
Lewis-Skelly will be unavailable for Arsenal’s upcoming match against third-place Nottingham Forest next week. By kickoff, Arsenal may find themselves 11 points behind league leaders Liverpool, although they will have a game in hand. This loss feels huge. If Arsenal are to end a 21-year title drought, they will need Arne Slot’s men to endure what they have gone through, but it could be too little, too late.
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