Cesc Fabregas wowed by genius Mikel Arteta decision at Arsenal – ‘exceptional’
Mikel Arteta continues to develop into a world-class manager at Arsenal, with one tactical decision drawing praise from Cesc Fabregas.
Arsenal fans are poised to enjoy an incredible campaign at the Emirates as Mikel Arteta’s men compete across all fronts.
The Gunners are leading the Premier League by six points, while in the Champions League, Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Slavia Prague saw them equal a club record eight clean sheets in a row and kept them at the top of the table.
To add fuel to their excitement, Arsenal are through to the Carabao Cup quarter-finals and are scheduled to play Crystal Palace on December 23.
After going several years without a trophy, this feels like the year when Arteta’s hard work will pay off, with several of his tactical decisions meriting success.
Mikel Arteta praised for using Mikel Merino as a striker
On Tuesday (November 4), Arsenal were without striker Viktor Gyokeres after he suffered a muscular issue.
So, with Kai Havertz also closing in on a return from injury, it left the Spaniard with limited options up top, and he chose Mikel Merino to lead his line.
Mikel Merino had never played as a striker in his career until Mikel Arteta surprisingly started him there back in February…
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) November 4, 2025
Since then, he’s produced 9 goals and 3 assists in 17 games up front. Masterclass 🧠 pic.twitter.com/SjYtFq5wIS
Arteta first tried that experiment in February 2025, and since then, the midfield maestro has become an option he can rely on, scoring nine goals and assisting three in 17 appearances up front.
Two of those goals came during their 2-0 win over Slavia Prague in midweek, with former midfielder Cesc Fabregas praising Arteta for using Merino as a forward.
“This is a great move by Mikel, putting Merino up front, who has done really well up front. They’re an exceptional team right now, let’s hope it can be a good year for them,” Fabregas said via Calciomercato.
Merino is Arsenal’s top scorer in 2025
Merino has enjoyed an outstanding year for club and country with an impressive 25 goal involvements in 2025.
| Goals | Assists |
| 20 | 5 |
More impressively, the 29-year-old is the Gunners’ top scorer this year, which is something no one could have predicted at the start of January.
But that demonstrates how incredibly efficient Merino has been in front of goal and arguably where Arsenal need to improve.
Arteta will be pleased that he can rely on his midfield powerhouse to come up with the goods while Havertz and Gyokeres are struggling with injuries.