Arsenal moved into the fourth round of the FA Cup with a comfortable win over Portsmouth but some supporters were still complaining, specifically, about Mikel Merino.
The Gunners had gone one down early but fought back with ease to see off a spirited Pompey side thanks in the main to a Gabriel Martinelli hat-trick.
Mikel Arteta rung the changes for the tie at Fratton Park, with only Gabriel starting from those who were in the first XI the previous game.
Choose one position for Mikel Merino for the rest of his career.
One of those players to get a start was Spanish midfielder, Mikel Merino.
And while Merino was impressive in the middle of the park and contributed heavily to the win, some Arsenal fans had a bit of a question for their manager when it came to Merino being handed the captain’s armband.
Arsenal fans baffled by Mikel Merino being made captain against Portsmouth
At 29, Merino was one of the more experienced figures in the starting XI and in fairness to him, he put in a fine performance.
However, it was an odd choice of skipper given Gabriel was the only player included from midweek and given the Brazilian’s standing in the squad, many expected him to wear the armband.
Needless to say, then, that the matter is being discussed heavily on social media by baffled Gunners fans.
One fan suggested Merino is a big favourite of Mikel Arteta.
“Just clocked Merino captain over Big Gabi is insane. Arteta loves off this guy too much” while another lamented the decision further before kick off.
“Merino captain is a disgrace, but this manager has a free pass for every awful decision according to top gooners and Arteta supporters”
Another fan also followed suit.
“Mikel Merino should never be captain when Gabriel is on the pitch. It’s absolute nonsense.”
While the confusion continued among other fans as well.
“How’s Merino captain ahead of Gabriel , White and Jesus ?”
“I honestly don’t understand Arteta’s decision. How is Merino captain ahead of Gabriel? He isn’t even a regular in the starting XI, while Gabriel has been integral to the team and has been there for years before Merino. It doesn’t make sense from any angle.”
Mikel Merino defended at full-time
Still, with Merino putting in a fine performance in the end, there was some reflection from certain fans, who actually praised their midfielder.
“I see Merino getting shade for committing the crime of being made captain. You know what else I saw? I saw Spain’s starting 10 starting as our 6 (where we predicted he’d play) and his attitude was exemplary. No treating it as a punishment. No going through the motions (cough Eze cough). From minute one he was flying into slide tackles matching Pompey’s physical approach which is vital in games like these. His passing and keeping possession then helped us impose ourselves on the game. Yes Martinelli will get all the plaudits but Merino played a vital role in the win. A player vastly underrated by our fan base. Can’t get my head around it?”
What impressed you the most as Arsenal beat Portsmouth in the FA Cup?
While another fan suggested that Merino actually did what Martin Odegaard fails to do.
“Merino carried the team as the captain to a comfortable win. Odegaard has never done it all the years he has been captain.”
With Arsenal comfortably through to the next round, fans and Mikel Arteta will, in the main, care little about this.
Nevertheless, it does show that despite being so successful this season that Arsenal fans can and will find complaint where they can at times.
If the Gunners don’t win the Premier League this season, you can imagine the backlash will be enormous!
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