Paul Merson says Mikel Arteta has done something 'scary' at Arsenal and one graphic shows he's right
Arsenal kicked off the new season with a fantastic performance against Coventry City.
The Gunners had a few key players missing from the squad, but they still produced a performance fitting the Premier League champions.
Arsenal’s bench, despite the absentees, was incredibly strong too, and that has become a key talking point since the game ended.
Paul Merson has now delivered his verdict.
Paul Merson says Mikel Arteta has built a scary squad at Arsenal
Mikel Arteta has worked tirelessly since the day he took charge of Arsenal.
The Gunners were in a mess back in December 2019 after Unai Emery’s disastrous start to his second season at the Emirates.
The squad was not good enough, the atmosphere in and around the club was shockingly bad, and there was a huge disconnect with the fans.
Arteta took on the Arsenal job at that point and turned them into one of the best teams in world football.
Merson is truly in awe of the squad Arteta has built – not just the starting line-up but the depth in every single position as well.
The pundit thinks that is ‘scary’ for Arsenal’s opponents.
He said on Sky Sports: “I mean, there are a lot of squads you’ll put up today, and there’ll be a lot of players in different positions, but the first one will always be much, much stronger than the other one or two. But when you look at that Arsenal one, they are strong!
“I mean, I looked at the first-choice back four and then looked at the one underneath. Every one of them walks into Man United’s team. Look: Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Ezri Konsa and Piero Hincapie. I think you’d take that if you were Man United. You’d take that, in my opinion.
“The midfield is exactly the same. Look at that. Any of them, all three. I mean, it’s scary!”
Merson is right; just have a look at the graphic below to see just how strong Arsenal’s squad really is.
Arsenal could still do with another left-winger
If you’re an Arsenal fan, you can’t not be happy with the squad depth you see above.
The Gunners haven’t had a squad this strong since Arsene Wenger’s legendary years over two decades ago. They definitely have what it takes to beat any side in the world.
However, if you have to be critical and find a weakness, we think Arsenal could do with another left winger before the window shuts.
Gabriel Martinelli is likely to leave, which means Christos Tzolis would be the only natural left winger in the squad.
That may not be enough in a season in which Arsenal could play over 60 games.
