It would be fair to say that Arsenal were not at their best last night.
Mikel Arteta’s side had the challenging task of playing away at Athletic Bilbao for the opening game of their Champions League campaign, and unlike on Saturday, didn’t exactly blow anyone away.
Granted, Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard did their images a world of good with two goals, but other than that, it was an underwhelming performance.
In particular, there was one player who was as inconsequential to proceedings as Mikel Merino was.
Merino's underwhelming performance
With Martin Odegaard out injured, Arteta opted to go with the same midfield three that started against Liverpool ahead of the international break.
However, while that decision made a little more sense at Anfield, where the Gunners were expected to be on the back foot, it was a little more puzzling last night, when they were undoubtedly favourites.
Unfortunately, instead of getting the Merino who scored a hat-trick for Spain and looked like a serious threat, the manager got the one who failed to add a whole lot to the team.
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For example, in his 96 minutes of action, the 29-year-old took just a single shot on target, amassed a paltry combined expected goal and assists figure of 0.09, completed just 21 passes and lost the ball 12 times.
It was by no means a horror showing from the Spaniard, but he was most certainly ineffective for large parts of the game.
We aren’t the only ones to think this either, as the Standard’s Sam Tabuteau awarded the former Real Sociedad star just a 6/10 match rating at full-time, writing that he ‘looked stretched’ at points.
However, while Merino did disappoint somewhat, he wasn’t the only one to do so.
The Arsenal star as disappointing as Merino
While they did win the game and were the better side, there were a number of other players who could fit the bill, but we are talking about Eberechi Eze.
Yes, while there is absolutely no doubting the Englishman’s incredible ability and desire, he was rather underwhelming in his first Champions League appearance.
Instead of being a constant threat and source of creative flair like we know he can be, there were parts of the game in which he struggled, notably when it came to understanding what Arteta likes of his left winger. The video clip below encapsulates that perfectly.
In his 71 minutes of action, the former Crystal Palace star took 16 touches fewer than David Raya, registered an expected assists figure of 0.11, completed just 19 passes, played a single key pass, lost the ball ten times and only made one cross.
Minutes
71′
Expected Goals
0.00
Goals
0
Expected Assists
0.11
Assists
0
Shots
0
Touches
40
Accurate Passes
19/25 (76%)
Key Passes
1
Aerial Duels (Won)
1 (0)
Lost Possession
10
Fouls
2
Crosses
1
Unsurprisingly then, others were just as disappointed by his showing, with Tabuteau giving him a 5/10 match rating, writing that he ‘struggled to get into the game.’
Likewise, one content creator claimed the winger was “totally off it today”, which is a more than fair assessment.
However, while the Greenwich-born ace has to take some responsibility for his lack of threat, last night’s game was perhaps the best example of why the manager has to play him more centrally going forward, as he’s just not a touchline sort of player.
Ultimately, Arsenal achieved what they set out to do last night, but the likes of Merino and Eze will be looking to put in stronger performances in the coming games.
