Английн Премьер лигт Арсеналын бүрэлдэхүүнд төвийн довтлогчийн үүрэг гүйцэтгэж эхэлсэн Микел Мерино ДАШТ-ий хасагдах шатанд Испанийн гол найдвар болон хувирлаа.
Испанийн шигшээ багийн дасгалжуулагч Луис де ла Фуэнте Бельгийн эсрэг тоглолтын төгсгөлд талбайд гарсан Мериногийн довтлогчийн зөн совин болон байрлал эзлэх чадварыг ашиглаж чадлаа. 2025 оны хоёрдугаар сард Лестер Ситигийн эсрэг Арсеналын төлөө анх удаа довтлогчоор тоглож, дубль хийснээс хойш тэрээр энэ шинэ үүрэгтээ бүрэн дасаад байна. Бельгийн эсрэг 2:1-ээр хожсон тоглолтын 90 дэх минутад хожлын гоолыг оруулснаар тэрээр ДАШТ-ий түүхэнд хоёр өөр хасагдах шатанд сэлгээнээс орж ирэн хожлын гоол оруулсан анхны тоглогч боллоо.
Мериногийн бие бялдар, тулаанч шинж чанар болон хамгаалагчдын дунд байрлал эзлэх мэдрэмж нь Испанийн довтолгоонд үгүйлэгдэж байсан хүчийг нэмж байна. Тэрээр Португалын эсрэг хийсэн тоглолтод мөн л сэлгээнээс орж ирэн хожлын гоолыг оруулсан бөгөөд Арсеналд тоглохдоо ч багийнхаа тоглолтын хувь заяаг шийдвэрлэх чухал гоолуудыг олонтаа хийсэн статистиктай.
Дасгалжуулагч Луис де ла Фуэнте түүнийг төвийн хагас хамгаалагчаас гадна довтлогчийн байрлалд ч дээд түвшинд тоглох чадвартай, бүх талын ур чадвартай тоглогч хэмээн онцолжээ. Мерино өөрөө ч талбайд гарахдаа 10 дугаарын үүрэг гүйцэтгэж, хамгаалагчдыг өөртөө татан багийн нөхдөдөө зай гаргаж өгөхөд анхаарч буйгаа илэрхийллээ.
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If Spain go on to win the World Cup, they may have the English city of Leicester to thank for it.
It was there in February 2025 that, with Arsenal facing an injury crisis at centre-forward, Mikel Arteta turned to Spanish midfielder Mikel Merino as a makeshift striker against Leicester City in the Premier League.
It proved a masterstroke, with Merino scoring twice to secure a 2-0 win, and the ripple effects of that decision have carried Spain through the World Cup knockout stages. As he had in the round of 16 against Portugal, Merino came off the bench late against Belgium with the game deadlocked, scoring the winner in a 2-1 victory that sent Spain into the semi-finals.
It is the first time in the history of the World Cup that a substitute has scored the winning goal in two separate knockout rounds.
“Not even in my wildest dreams could I have imagined what’s happening, scoring another goal in the 90th minute, with the ball dropping to me inside the box,” Merino told reporters after the game.
Spain head coach Luis de la Fuente has tapped into the same penalty-box instincts that the 30-year-old has developed since that afternoon in Leicester. “Before I went on, he told me to do the ‘number 10 things’,” Merino said.
Perhaps those attacking qualities were always there, lying dormant and waiting to be unlocked. Merino has a versatility that makes him suited to a number of positions.
“I think he is a complete player,” said De la Fuente. “He’s played as a pivot, a six, an eight, a 10 and a false nine. He can play in any of these positions. His performance in any of these positions is at the top level. He can be the best striker, the best attacking midfield player, because of his understanding of the game.”
At Arsenal, as shown in the position map below, he has divided his time between his usual central midfield position and his newfound role as a striker, spending 39 per cent of his minutes in the latter. His physicality is part of what makes him suited to both.
Merino arrived at Arsenal with a reputation as a “duel monster”, honed at Real Sociedad. That ability makes him valuable when winning the ball back in midfield, but also gives him the imposing target-man presence to dominate defenders in the penalty area.
It is a trait Spain otherwise lack in attacking areas, with striker Mikel Oyarzabal, their top scorer with four goals, relying more on clever runs and clinical finishing. Within a minute of coming on for Dani Olmo in the 85th minute, Spain were already targeting Merino with crosses, Pedro Porro flighting one towards him that sailed just over his head.
But his centre-forward qualities extend beyond pure physical strength, with Merino possessing genuine striker instincts, movement and anticipation.
“He has got a goal threat. He can smell danger. He can anticipate the action. He’s got really good timing to arrive in certain areas and execute,” Arteta said after that first audition with Merino up front against Leicester. Against Portugal in the round of 16, his stoppage-time winner came from a perfectly timed run in behind, latching onto Ferran Torres’ pass before finishing clinically.
Those direct runs into the box were largely missing from a Spain performance that was dominant in possession but often stiff and predictable in attack. As the pass map below shows, Oyarzabal concentrated more on linking play, frequently dropping deeper than wide attackers Lamine Yamal and Alex Baena.
Fabian Ruiz, scorer of Spain’s opening goal, also provides those runs from deep, which may explain his surprise inclusion ahead of Barcelona midfielder Pedri, but not to the same extent as Merino.
Merino’s winner against Belgium displayed the predatory instincts of a natural-born striker. As Pau Cubarsi lined up a long-range drive, he charged towards goal, anticipating that Belgium goalkeeper Senne Lammens would spill the shot and putting himself in position to bundle home the rebound.
“I just tried to stay alert for any loose ball, any pass that might break the lines, and help free up teammates by occupying the center backs,” said Merino.
Not only has he transferred his goalscoring touch from club level to the international stage, Merino has also carried across his tendency to save those goals for the biggest moments. Of his 11 Premier League goals for Arsenal, 10 were game-state-changing goals — goals that turn a losing position into a draw or a draw into a winning position.
Facing Spain is one of international football’s most daunting challenges. They hog the ball, knocking it effortlessly between their array of technicians, and mercilessly hunt to win it back on the rare occasions they lose it. It takes intense concentration to keep them out. And just when you think you have succeeded, on comes Mikel Merino.
