Paul Merson surprised by Raheem Sterling decision as Mikel Arteta explains North London Derby move

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has discussed his reasoning behind benching Raheem Sterling for the North London Derby on Sunday.

The Chelsea loanee joined in a last-minute switch on transfer deadline day, but wasn’t eligible to feature in the draw with Brighton last time out.

That gave Mikel Arteta some time to work with Raheem Sterling over the international break, building up some fitness and tactical understanding with the forward.

With Arsenal suffering from injury and suspension concerns, there were plenty of discussions over which players could feature in the side to face Tottenham.

The 29-year-old was touted as an option to replace Martin Odegaard in the side, but he was instead left on the bench.

• READ MORE: Why Oleksandr Zinchenko is absent from Arsenal matchday squad for North London Derby vs Tottenham

Why Raheem Sterling was left out of Tottenham v Arsenal in North London Derby

So Sterling wasn’t handed his full debut for Arsenal against Tottenham in the North London Derby, putting that off until later on.

Speaking to Sky Sports about the decision to not start the England international, Arsenal boss Arteta said: “We are really happy with Raheem Sterling, we have to make it work.

“When you have a player like this, you are tempted [to put him straight in]. He’s missed a lot of football, but he’s in a good place.”

It suggests that it may take some time to get Sterling into a position where the forward can regularly compete from the starting lineup.

With a busy week that includes Champions League fixtures and a clash with Premier League title rivals Manchester City, there’s a chance to build up that fitness as he goes.

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Paul Merson left surprised by Raheem Sterling decision

Former Arsenal star Paul Merson admitted before the North London Derby that he was surprised to see Sterling left out of the starting 11.

He said on Sky Sports: “I thought Sterling might play today, I really did cause I think Sterling is a phenomenal player without the ball as well, he makes great runs without it.

“To beat this Tottenham team, you have to run without the ball, you’ve got to have that third-man running, we’ve seen it with Newcastle last week [against Tottenham], they [Spurs] come up with a high line.”

It remains to be seen whether the winger will get a chance to make his impression in his first taste of the North London Derby, but it will have to be from the subs bench.