Arsenal still have one major problem and it was glaring against Burnley

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Despite being top of the Premier League, Arsenal still have one major issue, and it was evident against Burnley on Saturday afternoon.

The Gunners strolled to a 2-0 victory over the Clarets courtesy of goals from Viktor Gyokeres and Declan Rice.

The result saw Mikel Arteta’s side move seven points clear at the top of the Premier League table after nine matches, while they’ve also won all three of their Champions League games and are through to the fifth round of the EFL Cup.

While almost everything is rosy around N5 at the moment, Arteta still has one problem on his hands that won’t be solved at least for another few weeks.

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Mikel Merino was poor vs Burnley

Viktor Gyokeres was forced off with an injury at half-time at Turf Moor.

The Swede sustained a muscular problem, and Arteta called on Mikel Merino to play up front for the Gunners in the second half.

The Spaniard struggled in this role, and Arsenal looked significantly worse as a result. The North Londoners lost the threat Gyokeres posed running in behind, while Merino was clunky when the ball did come to him.

Arsenal managed just four shots in the second half and found it difficult to breach Burnley’s defence on a consistent basis.

This was a stark contrast to the first period, where they carved through the home team’s defence at will. The only thing that changed was Merino’s introduction, and thus, it’s clear that he was part of the issue.

It’s hard to blame Merino, who isn’t naturally a striker and was doing a job for Arteta’s team, but the reality is that his presence up front made Arsenal worse.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, Steve Bruce pointed this issue out.

“I think they’ve missed the focal point of Gyokeres,” the former Premier League manager said.

“I know Merino isn’t a natural number nine; they’ve missed this focal point, he gives them that out, when they need to. I think he’s been a miss for them in this second half, I have to say.”

Mikel Merino playing up front is a problem for Arsenal

Merino has had to be called upon on multiple occasions for the Gunners up front off the bench this season, and once from the start in the League Cup.

If this continues moving forward, it’s going to be an issue for Arteta and his team.

While they remain defensively solid with Merino as their number nine, they struggle to create chances and venture into the box with him in this position.

Kai Havertz should return from injury after the November international break, meaning this issue should be somewhat negated in the coming months.

That said, it’ll likely remain a ploy Arteta calls upon from time to time, and it’s the only thing that will prevent Arsenal from waltzing to the title.