Arsenal cut the gap to Liverpool on Saturday as they just squeezed past Leicester at the King Power Stadium with the Premier League title race just about alive with 13 games of the season to go
Mike Arteta insists there are more secret weapons Arsenal can throw at Liverpool as they bid to ambush the Premier League leaders.
The Gunners boss was full of praise for two-goal midfielder Mikel Merino who came off the bench to make a dramatic impact against Leicester. Arteta also stressed he will continue to lock-in and load Ethan Nwaneri to fire at opponents after the 17-year-old was compared to Lionel Messi by TV pundit Joe Cole.
Merino – who scored with a header and a volley – was used as an emergency striker and Arteta said: “There will be players like that used in different roles.
If a player is not performing, or there is a yellow card or fatigue, we have prepared for those scenarios. Mikel is a goal threat. He’s got really good timing. He has the capacity to execute with that part of his body. The game had reached the stage where it was starting to suit him more.”
Merino’s first goal was created by Nwaneri after the teenager made his fourth Premier League start of a stunning breakthrough season. “He is a massive, massive threat to the opposition,” added Arteta.
“He just wants to play and when you have a youngster like that you just have to let him, let him go. He’s a great talent.”
The victory was the perfect response after Arsenal’s midweek Carabao Cup defeat to Newcastle and Arteta added: “There was a lot of noise about how much did we want it. We had to believe in our resources and show that we wanted it.”
