Opinion: Why Arteta must drop the Rice-Merino midfield duo against Man City

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·18 septembre 2025

Opinion: Why Arteta must drop the Rice-Merino midfield duo against Man City

For much of the game against Athletic Club, where Arsenal walked away 2-0 winners, the Gunners were unsurprisingly solid defensively. The entire back four were in top form, while the starting eleven defended astutely as a collective unit. Going forward however, the Gunners created very little before Gabriel Martinelli’s opener and our failure to create was partly down to the team selection in midfield. When the team sheet was released an hour or so before kick-off, it was obvious to see that Mikel Arteta anticipated a really difficult encounter. The midfield three of Mikel Merino, Martin Zubimendi and Declan Rice started together for the second time this campaign and even though they contributed significantly to the defence, the midfield lacked creativity.

Why the Rice-Merino duo doesn’t click

Just like we saw against Liverpool a few weeks ago, the team struggled to create any meaningful, clear-cut chances as a result of the midfield three. The trio are incredible players individually, each offering something unique to this Arsenal side, but it’s a different case collectively in the midfield. Mikel Merino and Declan Rice never seem to gel in the same midfield for Arsenal, even stretching back to the previous campaign. In my opinion, this is because the duo are very similar players who thrive as marauding number 8s, hence they don’t complement each other. When the pair have played together in the midfield, Declan is usually the one asked to play a little deeper, while Merino plays a bit higher.

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The game against Liverpool and Athletic Club was crying out for a more attacking minded option in midfield. On both occasions, Martin Ødegaard was absent as a result of injury, but Ethan Nwaneri would’ve been a better option for both encounters. Most would argue they’re both tough away fixtures, but it shouldn’t justify the need to play safe. Despite the rather comfortable scoreline, we could’ve easily drawn or lost against Athletic Bilbao and most would blame the midfield selection in that hypothetical scenario.

Did you know: Merino and Rice have won only one of the nine games they’ve started together in midfield for Arsenal, a 4-0 over Ipswich Town last season.

(Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Who should replace Merino-Rice against City?

Martin Ødegaard remains a doubt for the Manchester City clash on Sunday, but Mikel Arteta should not continue with Mikel Merino and Declan Rice in my view. Like I said before, Ethan Nwaneri might be the obvious first pick other than those two but I think Eberechi Eze should be given the nod to start on Sunday. Three of his appearances have come on the left-flank this campaign, but he has struggled to impact games from that position. He struggled against Athletic Club, but he could benefit from a run of games in his most favoured position. His inclusion will bring a lot more balance to the midfield, more than a midfield containing Rice and Merino.

These are my thoughts, tell me yours in the comments!

Benjamin Kenneth

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