No Gyokeres, no problem - makeshift Merino provides Arsenal 'solution'

The sight of Mikel Merino wheeling away in celebration after scoring while playing as a striker is something Arsenal fans have got used to over the past nine months.

And the midfielder-turned-frontman was at it again on Tuesday, scoring twice in their 3-0 Champions League win at Slavia Prague.

The 29-year-old was filling in for Viktor Gyokeres, whose muscle injury is "concerning" manager Mikel Arteta as the Swede prepares for further tests.

Thankfully, he need not be concerned about Merino's ability to step up and deliver for the Gunners, whose fourth straight success in the league phase extended their winning run to 10 in all competitions.

"It's a joy to have him," admitted Arteta. "It's his mindset, it's his leadership, it's the way he is as a person.

"We are missing a lot of attacking players and we have to find different solutions. He comes in the Champions League and scores two goals."

Merino first stepped up as a makeshift frontman for the Gunners in February when he scored twice in the Premier League win at Leicester following a hamstring injury to Kai Havertz and Gabriel Jesus' cruciate ligament injury (ACL) a month earlier.

That was the first time that Merino had taken on that role since he was a child.

He then scored crucial goals in wins against Chelsea, Fulham and Real Madrid and ended the last campaign with nine in all competitions.

Merino has three this term, also netting at Newcastle on 28 September, where Arsenal last conceded before a run of eight clean sheets to equal a club record set back in 1903.

Arsenal signed Gyokeres in a deal worth £64m in the summer as Arteta looked to bring in a natural number nine and lead them to their first trophy since 2020.

The Swede has scored six goals in his 14 appearances, but had to play more than probably expected with Havertz sidelined with a knee injury since the opening day of the season.

With fears Gyokeres could be out for longer with a hamstring problem, Merino will need to remain front and centre to help Arsenal's cause.

After Bukayo Saka's penalty put them ahead in Prague, the Spaniard met a Leandro Trossard cross with a neat finish for his first goal just after the restart, before heading home Declan Rice's delivery to seal the impressive success.

One of Arteta's favourites in the squad and popular in the dressing room, he has established himself as part of the leadership group.

"My view was, always, he had really good timing and the capacity to finish in the box, especially one touch," added the Gunners boss.

"And then talking to him and making sure that he plays closer to the box and he identifies the opportunities, the timing, the way he needs to attack the spaces in relation to how they defend the box, which today was a bit different as well, the way they set up.

"And then it's obviously his quality, he will need to learn and practice every day."

The Gunners spent just over £250m in the summer on eight new players as they looked to increase their quality and squad depth to compete in four competitions.

But that is already being challenged, particularly in attack.

Havertz, Gyokeres, Gabriel Martinelli, Noni Madueke and Martin Odegaard are all currently out injured, with Arteta admitting he has had to get creative to deal with the problems for a side who lead the Premier League and are in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.

"Yeah, you have to invent options," he said. "You can always have options if you invent them.

"Obviously, Mikel hasn't played there before in his career but we had a good experience of last season and the way he reacted and performed in that position.

Obviously, we believe that today, the way they were set up as well, was a good chance for him to perform."

Merino, who was part of the Spain squad that won Euro 2024 - scoring a late winner in extra time against Germany in the quarter-final - added: "This team doesn't care who is injured, who is not. The same mentality, the same fire inside.

"I'm just trying to feel the role of the number nine, even though I'm not a classic number nine or born as a number nine - and trying to help the team with goals."