How Jamie Carragher’s Mikel Merino dig immediately came back to bite him

It’s the international break and the news cycle has swiftly moved on from Arsenal and Liverpool‘s low-scoring snoozefest that rounded off the epilogue stage of the 2025-26 Premier League season.

As the dust settled, there was a prevailing narrative after the match that Mikel Arteta paid the price for a conservative approach, failing to name a single manifestly creative midfielder in the trip to Merseyside.

Playing with the handbrake on has generally worked well for Arteta’s Gunners, who went to Anfield off the back of 22 successive matches unbeaten in the Premier League against the ‘big six’ – a stark contrast to their infamously terrible record in such tests in the latter days of Arsene Wenger’s reign.

Arteta’s defenders pointed to that record and the stats of a severely uneventful contest, the lowest total xG registered in any Premier League match over the last three seasons.

The argument was that Arteta effectively ‘coached’ a 0-0 draw. A solid result away from home against likely title rivals.

The obvious problem was, in reality, they came unstuck thanks to an outrageous piece of individual quality. Dominik Szoboszlai’s exceptional long-range free-kick howitzer proved to be the difference.

But it’s not difficult to imagine, on a different day, that Arsenal could’ve won out in such fine margins. Particularly with their lethal record at set-pieces.

“It’s very strange for a team to be without three of their absolute best players away to the champions and the suggestion from the pundits is that they should be pushing for a win,” wrote journalist James Benge, who covers Arsenal for CBS Sports.

Carragher quoted that tweet, responding:

“It’s not only about this game, it’s about the mentality of your manager (who I’m a fan of).

“Merino starting tells you straight away about the mindset.

“You didn’t create one chance against a team who have been exposed by three teams with less ability than yours.”

There’s certainly a point there. Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Newcastle all scored twice against Arne Slot’s new-look Reds, who are still working out how to fit their new additions into a structure that works.

Liverpool had let go of a two-goal lead in each of their first two league outings, and found themselves dominated for large periods by ten-man Newcastle.

As a counterpoint, Liverpool have also taken maximum points and scored seven goals against Newcastle and Bournemouth, who rank first and third for the lowest xG conceded in the Premier League this season. Arsenal rank second.

Liverpool’s firepower is devastating, and Arsenal did well to reduce them to half-chances. Carragher had no qualms about giving them their dues defensively.

“I’ve never believed Arsenal’s problem was finishing. Arsenal’s problem is creating. That was the problem for them last season, they don’t create enough,” the former Liverpool centre-back expanded on Sky Sports.

“You look at the goals they score, the xG, the numbers are all there in black and white. And I felt from last season, Arsenal needed to shift slightly, become more proactive with the ball.

“You bring [Martin] Zubimendi in on the ball, you bring in the guy up front, [Eberechi] Eze’s come in. It’s only three games, but in the two away games that we’ve seen Arsenal this season, nothing has changed.

“Heavily reliant on set pieces, don’t create anything in open play, and are the best team in Europe for me, defensively.”

But did Carragher single out the wrong player to make his point?

Arsenal duo Merino and Zubimendi both started in midfield as Spain produced an absolute clinic in sophisticated, wonderfully watchable attacking football with a statement 6-0 thrashing away to Turkey on Sunday evening.

The distinction was that Arsenal’s third midfielder was Declan Rice, while Spain’s was Pedri. Those profiles could scarcely be more different in terms of what they offer physically, technically and creatively.

Merino might not be a creative midfielder – but his goal threat cannot be denied. He did a more than passable job as Arsenal’s makeshift striker last season, while evidence of his excellent timing and finishing was clear to see with his sensational hat-trick in Turkey.

Hat trick hero Merino — carrying Spain like a true maestro pic.twitter.com/sNofA4GG2o

— Afc_Blitz (@futbol_afc) September 7, 2025

“It’s amazing; obviously I’m really, really happy,” Merino told reporters in Konya.

“This is my first hat-trick. I am not used to scoring so many goals, so scoring three with my national team on a night like this, against a team like this, is magical, and I think it’s a night I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

It might’ve been his first career hat-trick, but it was no fluke.

Last season, Merino registered a higher rate of ‘expected goals’ per 90 minutes than every other midfielder in the Premier League (not including his spell at centre forward) – including the likes of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden, Morgan Gibbs-White, Kevin De Bruyne and Bruno Fernandes. Credit to @RohanJivanAFC for that stat.

Playing in midfield last term, the Spain international also notched an xG rate in midfield over double the Gunners captain and chief playmaker Odegaard, who he replaced in the starting line-up at Anfield.

Arteta could certainly have been more adventurous by selecting Ethan Nwaneri or marquee summer signing Eberechi Eze in place of Odegaard, but Merino has immediately demonstrated he’s no water carrier.

By Nestor Watach

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