Last night, Arsenal defeated Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 in the Champions League to record their third straight victory.
During the first half, the Gunners controlled the game and had plenty of opportunities to score more than two goals.
They focused more on maintaining the lead in the second half, and they ultimately succeeded in doing so rather easily.
In spite of this, manager Mikel Arteta might want to enhance his starting lineup, and we believe Thomas Partey will be let go shortly.
The Ghanaian finished 27 out of 29 passes yesterday, but he did not confront anyone in either of the duel matches.
Nor did the £45 million addition try to combat. Before being replaced in the 64th minute, he had only made four recoveries and three interceptions.
He was replaced by Mikel Merino, who made his Gunners debut and was far livelier from the number six position.
In thirty minutes, the Spaniard won two tackles and four duels. Along with six accurate passes, he also made three recoveries and two clearances.
The former Real Sociedad player put up a strong debut, and we think it won’t be long until he replaces Partey in the starting lineup.
After Partey was removed after the hour, Arteta gave a strong indication that Merino may start next to Declan Rice.
It might not occur this weekend vs Southampton, given that Merino has only had one full training session since suffering a shoulder injury.
But after the international break, we might see the 28-year-old emerge as a key player in the manager’s starting lineup.
With 14 points, Arsenal is presently one point behind league leaders Liverpool in third place in the standings.