In times of difficulty, teams look to their leaders for inspiration. Mikel Arteta has been guilty of losing his cool in the past but as Arsenal’s season enters its decisive phase, the main man is stepping up to the mark.
Football in 2025 allows little room for improvisation. Hordes of data analysts plan for matches in mind-boggling detail. Five substitutions mean that if a Premier League coach gets it wrong with his starting XI, he can change half of his outfield players. The wealthiest clubs can afford squads packed with outstanding players, ensuring every base is covered.
Yet sometimes even these safety nets fail and that is when managers prove their worth. The smartest ones do not panic when they are four attackers down and struggling to outwit one of the weakest defences in the division. They respond with an innovative move to win the game.
Mikel Merino had never played as a centre-forward in his career but Arteta had seen enough from his fellow Basque to think it worth a shot. Half an hour later, Merino had scored twice, Leicester were beaten and the Gunners were still in the title race.
This was no lucky move, either. Study Merino’s first goal, a header from Ethan Nwaneri’s cross. It looks simple enough yet neither of Arsenal’s three starting forwards – Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard and Raheem Sterling – would have been in the position to score it. It was a finish any No 9 worth their salt would have been proud of.
As he tries to fight on two fronts, Arteta now has another attacking weapon and he deserves all the credit.
Mikel Merino came off the bench to score twice as Arsenal beat Leicester 2-0 on Saturday
Merino had never played as a striker before but his goals have kept the Gunners in the title race
Mikel Arteta came up with the innovative move and the Spaniard deserves all the credit he gets
He could have cursed his luck at Kai Havertz’s season-ending hamstring injury, meaning the German joins Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli on the sidelines.
He could have sulked at Arsenal’s transfer bosses for failing to deliver a centre-forward during the winter transfer window, even though Ollie Watkins was keen to join from Aston Villa, or blamed his predicament on the ferocious fixture schedule.
Instead, Arteta found a way and who knows how important this instinctive step might prove as Arsenal try to end a 21-year wait for the title.
‘You have to have a picture in your head of what can work and what are the variables within the team,’ Arteta explained.
‘And then you have to feel it, to have seen what has happened and to understand what the game is demanding. We have prepared for different scenarios and then these scenarios have to work – as it did at Leicester.’
Arsenal conclude February with a home game against West Ham on Saturday before they travel to Nottingham Forest four days later and with his aerial ability, Merino looks an ideal starter at the City Ground, against an imposing Forest defence who prefer to sit deep. Expect Nwaneri to make an impact in both games, too.
Former England midfielder Joe Cole, working as a television pundit, even compared Nwaneri with Lionel Messi. While it is ludicrous at this stage to draw such parallels with one of the greatest of all time, the 17-year-old is a thrilling talent.
He has wonderful balance and is comfortable with either foot, making him very difficult to mark. He is brave on the ball and always seems to make the right choice. Time to get Nwaneri in the full England squad next month – Barcelona and Spain star Lamine Yamal is four months younger than Nwaneri and is already one of the best attackers in the world.
Merino’s aerial ability could prove to be crucial as Arsenal try to deal with a lengthy injury list
Gunners wonderkid Ethan Nwaneri impressed again and he should be in England’s next squad
Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy needs to find solutions after their ninth loss in 10 games
Leicester boss Ruud van Nistelrooy may think about following Arteta’s lead. His side have not scored in a league game at home since the 2-2 draw with Brighton on December 8 and continue to rely on Jamie Vardy, who turned 38 in January, for goals.
A relegation battle might not be the ideal scenario for youngsters to make their way in the first team but in Jeremy Monga, 15, and 16-year-old Jake Evans, Leicester have two of the most promising in the land.
The pair have trained regularly with the first team this term and were included in the squad for the FA Cup defeat at Manchester United earlier this month.
Leicester have to try something. Despite losing nine of their last 10 matches, Van Nistelrooy’s men still have a chance of survival, thanks to the dire standard set by the bottom four. With Southampton virtually relegated, two of the Foxes, Wolves and Ipswich will join them.
If Wolves survive, it will be the second consecutive season that all three promoted teams suffer immediate relegation. If England’s top flight effectively becomes a closed shop, that is no good for the spectacle, no matter how compelling the action at the other end of the table. And given the pace Liverpool are setting, Arteta may need a few more flashes of ingenuity to keep it interesting at the summit too.