According to Paul Merson, Mikel Arteta may have to accomplish the impossible if he wants to field a capable midfielder in the North London Derby. Arsenal face Spurs this Sunday without top midfielders Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard. Declan Rice, who received a red card against Brighton, will serve a one-game suspension, while Odegaard sustained an injury while on international duty.
Without the duo Paul Merson, unlike most Gooners, expresses uncertainty about how to improve the Arsenal midfield. He claims he has no idea how he’d have set up the Arsenal midfield in the current situations. He highlighted the crucial Rice-Odegaard combination that keeps the midfield clicking against Spurs.
Merson told SkySports, “If there are two players Arsenal don’t want to be without, then it’s Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard… I’m trying to pick a midfield three, and I can’t.
“Rice takes the ball up the pitch, and Odegaard makes things happen in the final third. I don’t think there’s anybody that can replace Odegaard. He’s a very, very special player and would be the first name on the teamsheet. Arsenal need him in the big moments to pick the right pass.
“Odegaard doesn’t go around and tackle people, but he does close people down. He knows the position, and Rice is one of the best at his job.”
Because of our midfield problems he is worried that Tottenham could cause an upset on Sunday. He wnt on to say: “I was very bullish last year saying Arsenal would definitely win the North London Derby but I’m not so sure this season – and it’s a game they can’t afford to lose in the title race.
“Last season, Arsenal dominated and then all of a sudden they let in a goal and you could only see one result, and that was Tottenham coming back.”
Merson just expresses the concerns that most Arsenal fans have about facing Spurs without their main midfield players. Even so, we ought to trust Arteta’s plans to field a team to defeat Spurs. Many may believe Arteta must do the impossible to have a capable midfield engine, but to him, that may simply be the perfect chance to show his side has a winning mentality, because winners win regardless of the situation.
Daniel O
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