Mikel Arteta simply has to start ‘duel monster’ for Arsenal to expose glaring Man City weakness on Sunday

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Arsenal host Manchester City at the Emirates on Sunday afternoon, and Mikel Arteta must make one important team selection decision ahead of the clash.

The Gunners have started the new campaign in encouraging form, winning four of their opening five matches across all competitions.

However, Arsenal lost to Liverpool in their only significantly challenging match thus far, and could subsequently do with a major triumph over a title rival.

City travel to the Emirates having beaten Manchester United and Napoli this week, although the North Londoners remain favourites and should still have enough to overcome Pep Guardiola’s men.

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Mikel Arteta should start Mikel Merino against Manchester City

Arteta has several team selection headaches that he has to mull over before Sunday.

However, none of these are likely to be as divisive as who he picks to complete the midfield trio alongside Declan Rice and Martin Zubimendi.

Martin Odegaard is likely to miss the game with a shoulder injury, meaning the Spanish manager must find an alternative to the Norwegian.

The options at his disposal are essentially Mikel Merino, Eberechi Eze and Ethan Nwaneri.

Arteta was slated by fans for starting Merino alongside Zubimendi and Rice in Bilbao on Tuesday, but the tactician should opt to do the same again on Sunday.

Nwaneri remains untested in games of this magnitude, while Eze’s dribbling ability will be best used on the exterior of the team against City.

Guardiola’s team have looked physically fragile so far this season, with Rodri struggling to cope with powerful opposition midfielders as he tires late in games, while Tijani Reijnders is more focused on getting up the pitch than competing in the middle of the park.

This blend of City weaknesses makes Merino perfectly suited to this game. The Spaniard is primed to dominate the meek players Guardiola will select in midfield.

Merino has been described as a ‘duel monster’ in the past, because he thrives in physical duels, both on the ground and in the air.

As well as this, the Euro 2024 winner is excellent at breaking into the box late and attacking crosses, which could be valuable against an increasingly vulnerable City defence.

It’s a no-brainer decision for Arteta.

Mikel Merino’s statistics 2024/24

The general perception around Merino is that he’s merely a functional midfielder who is physical but contributes little in the final third.

While physicality is a big part of his game and a huge reason as to why he should start against City, he brings a lot more to the table than that.

As shown by the data above, Merino contributed to nine goals in the Premier League last season, whilst taking over two shots per 90 minutes.

This clearly indicates that he can reliably contribute in attacking areas. Meanwhile, his 3.35 aerial duels won per 90 minutes highlights just how much of a threat he is in the air, and this is something the Gunners must utilise against City.