Arsenal progressed to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup following a 2-0 win over League One side Port Vale on the road yesterday.
The Gunners were far from convincing in the final third at Vale Park and struggled to create many clear-cut chances throughout the game.
Eberechi Eze scored his maiden Gunners goal in the eighth minute. Arsenal had to wait until the 86th minute for Leandro Trossard to double their lead.
Port Vale never looked like finding the back of the net, but Mikel Arteta’s side had a rather nervy finish.
Mikel Merino was picked as a false number nine against Port Vale on Wednesday. He had a lacklustre performance until his 71st-minute substitution.
The Spaniard won just three out of seven duels contested and lost possession on nine occasions. He did not manage a shot on target against the Valiants.
He produced one key pass for Eze to test the goalkeeper. Other than that, he struck an isolated figure and was slow with his decision-making on the ball too.
Merino has played in different positions in the last two outings against Port Vale and Manchester City, but he has been disappointing in both of those games.
He almost gifted Man City with their second goal after losing possession just outside the box.
In our view, Arteta must drop the £31 million-rated star to the bench for Sunday’s Premier League encounter against Newcastle United on the road.
The manager likes the physical attributes of Merino, but the Spaniard lacks the positional sense and creativity to operate as a central attacking midfielder.
We would personally play Eberechi Eze alongside Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi in the centre of the park, just like in the second half against Man City.
Martin Odegaard looks poised to be fit for the trip to St James’ Park. In that case, the 26-year-old could get the nod in midfield, with Eze operating on the left wing.
Stats from Sofascore.com & Transfermarkt.com
