Mikel Merino celebrates after Spain’s victory over Bulgaria (Photo by Florencia Tan Jun/Getty Images)
Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino had another great performance for the Spanish national team on Tuesday night, scoring twice in the 4-0 win over Bulgaria.
The 29-year-old appears to be the national team’s Mr Reliable at the moment, scoring two goals in this game and also scoring an impressive hat-trick in the recent international break.
Merino, on the other hand, doesn’t always start for Arsenal, and when he does, it often seems like he’s in a role that doesn’t quite suit him.
Merino now appears to be sending a clear message to Gunners manager Mikel Arteta – he is a goalscorer and, if used regularly and in the right way, can be a top-class performer.
Mikel Merino shows Arsenal what he can do with great Spanish play
Merino is certainly talented enough to deserve more chances at Arsenal, with the former Real Sociedad player scoring 9.9 points on WhoScored against Bulgaria.
According to their stats, Merino had two shots on target, scored on both of them, also made one tackle and an interception, and completed 87% of his passes.
Although this was an appearance in an attacking midfield role just behind the main striker, Merino had little chance to play there for Arsenal.
Is there too much competition at Arsenal?
Merino played a number of games up front last season and was very impressive, making it perhaps his most successful period in the team.
However, competition for a spot at the Emirates Stadium is fierce, so in most cases there won’t be one for him.
Martin Odegaard tends to be Arsenal’s most attacking midfielder, but the way he plays is different and it is unclear how much the rest of Arteta’s tactics will need to be adjusted to fit the role Merino will play in Spain.
Still, these performances send a message to Arteta and it will be interesting to see if he can come up with a way to make this work happen.