Arsenal icon Ian Wright expressed criticism towards Mikel Merino following Arsenal’s narrow 1-0 defeat to Newcastle, pointing out that the Spanish midfielder “wasn’t tight enough in and around the midfield.”
The decisive moment of the game came early, with Alexander Isak heading home a powerful goal in the 14th minute.
Arsenal, unable to mount an effective response, endured another disappointing performance away from home.
However, the Gunners had some fortune as their main title rivals, Manchester City, later suffered a surprising defeat to Bournemouth, marking City’s first loss in 33 matches.
The absence of captain Martin Ødegaard due to injury has significantly impacted Arsenal’s creativity in midfield.
Manager Mikel Arteta is eager to have Ødegaard back in action ahead of the upcoming London derby against Chelsea, as his influence has been sorely missed.
Merino, who joined Arsenal for £32 million from Real Sociedad, found it difficult to make an impression during the match at St James’ Park.
His limited impact in the attacking third led to him being substituted after 60 minutes, making way for young academy talent Ethan Nwaneri.
While providing analysis on Premier League Productions, Wright pointed out that Merino still seems to be adjusting to the physicality and intensity of English football.
“Ødegaard has been out for a while now. We’ve discussed our other options…
Fabio Vieira hasn’t featured much either,” Wright noted. “Emile Smith Rowe is now at Fulham and doing well for himself.
“Ethan Nwaneri came on today, and it’s a lot to ask of a young player in a team competing for the title.
We’re now ten games into the season, and we shouldn’t be this flat—not creating enough opportunities or exerting enough pressure.
“Merino was not tight enough in midfield again today. It’s clear he is still finding his feet.”
Wright stressed that Arsenal supporters should not continue using Ødegaard’s absence as an explanation for the team’s struggles.
“It’s tough to accept that we’re ten games in and already feeling this way, especially given how challenging it is to catch up to Manchester City,” he said.
“With just one shot on target against Bournemouth and only one today, that’s simply not good enough for a team that has aspirations of winning the title.
There’s a lot that needs addressing in that dressing room. We can’t keep leaning on Ødegaard’s absence as a reason; it’s a factor, but we have to be better.”
In his post-match press conference, Arteta resonated with some of Wright’s observations about the missing Ødegaard but stressed the importance of looking for alternative solutions. “We could spend all day talking about this.
The reality is we haven’t had him for six weeks now, and we don’t have him today either.
“But we do have other options, and they need to be effective.
Today, we need to focus on analyzing ourselves, giving credit to Newcastle, and moving forward.”
Wright’s comments and Arteta’s post-match reflections underline the urgency within Arsenal to rediscover their attacking edge and consistency, especially as they aim to keep up the pressure in a competitive title race.
