Today in Sports
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket
  • DMCA
  • Disclaimer
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Contact us
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket
No Result
View All Result
Today in Sports
No Result
View All Result

Friday round-up: Man Utd prep, Merino up top

March 7, 2025
in Football
0
Home Football
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


You might also like

David Ornstein confirms Manchester United have made an offer to Matheus Cunha – Man United News And Transfer News

A Champions League race turning point?

Trent Alexander-Arnold “shouldn’t play another minute,” but no “favours” for Real – Liverpool FC

Morning all.

A quick Friday blog for you, because today is the first golf day of the year. I haven’t played in a long time, so hopefully the weather is ok because that’s about as much as I can hope for this morning.

Mikel Arteta will meet the press around lunchtime as we prepare to face Man Utd at Old Trafford on Sunday. They were in Europa League action last night in Spain, drawing 1-1 with Real Sociedad in San Sebastian. On paper, that is pretty much the perfect result for us, as it leaves them with work to do in the second leg – and with just a couple of days to prepare for Sunday.

Who knows how it will play out though. Games don’t take place on paper, and with a few extra days to recover before that game, they can give 100% on Sunday. What’s not clear now is whether there might be some injury issues that mean Ruben Amorim has to prioritise the Europa League, or if the players’ focus is much more on the competition they can actually do something in.

What’s definitely clear is that Arteta will prepare his team as if none of that is part of the equation. In his press conference he’ll talk about United being a big club, with a good manager, and with some quality players, thus making it a difficult match where we have to be as good as we can possibly be if we want to take all three points. We’ll have all the stories from the presser on Arseblog News a bit later on.

Meanwhile, Mikel Merino reflects on life as a striker after his recent deployment in that position. He says:

It’s kind of crazy, to be honest. But at the same time, it’s about having the right mentality, the right approach of the game. If the coach tells you to play one position, all right, you have to take all your characteristics and put it on the table for the team.

I’m trying to adapt, I’m trying to do things the best way possible. Obviously, some days will be better, some days will be worse, but the work is there every day, the grind. I’m trying to improve every single day in my position, in my new position, I’m trying to help the team.

It stands to some kind of reason that the more often he plays there, the more comfortable he’ll get in the role. There will always be limitations because he’s not playing in his natural position, but I would say that if you’re in this kind of emergency situation and you need to repurpose a footballer, Merino is more or less the perfect kind of guy to have at your disposal.

By that, I don’t mean that he’s the perfect striker, but as a facsimile for 6’4 Kai Havertz, previously a left-footed left 8, a 6’2 Mikel Merino who is a left-footed left 8 fits the bill in that sense. Beyond that though, he seems like a really good character, a willing runner who will do those hard yards up front, and understands that when a team needs something, an experienced player needs to step up without complaint and do the best possible job he can for the team. Footballers can be precious, there is a lot of ego at this level, but you don’t get that from him.

At this stage there’s no point rehashing the whys and wherefores of us being in a situation where we need to play Merino as our centre-forward. We have been there, done that, worn the t-shirt, then donated the t-shirt to charity in one of those clothes bins they have beside the glass recycling. On Tuesday night, he got a goal and an assist, as well as being an asset defensively because of his height (he made 3 clearances, Saliba and Gabriel 5 each).

Hopefully after the Interlull we have more options available to us, but until then we need him to deliver. And, if he does, I think there will be least parts of games where even with players like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli back, he’ll be deployed up top because the game-state demands it. So, let’s hope he has more good days than bad in his new role, ultimately that will benefit the team.

Right, I’m gonna leave it there. We’ll look ahead to the Man Utd game later this afternoon on our Patreon preview podcast. If you want to sign up, it’s just $6 per month for that and all the content we put on there, and you can do it at patreon.com/arseblog

For now, have a good one folks.



Source link

Tags: FridayManMerinoprepRoundupTopUtd
Share30Tweet19

Recommended For You

David Ornstein confirms Manchester United have made an offer to Matheus Cunha – Man United News And Transfer News

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 8, 2025
0
David Ornstein confirms Manchester United have made an offer to Matheus Cunha – Man United News And Transfer News

1 Manchester United have reportedly made an offer to Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Matheus Cunha ahead of the summer transfer window. United are eyeing reinforcements in the attacking department...

Read more

A Champions League race turning point?

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 8, 2025
0
A Champions League race turning point?

Aston Villa have ground to make up in the race for Champions League football, and their task has gotten more difficult after reports of a key injury blow...

Read more

Trent Alexander-Arnold “shouldn’t play another minute,” but no “favours” for Real – Liverpool FC

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 8, 2025
0
Trent Alexander-Arnold “shouldn’t play another minute,” but no “favours” for Real – Liverpool FC

Trent Alexander-Arnold has decided his future lay away from Anfield from next season and it has opened the door to intense debate over how involved he should be...

Read more

Wolves really like Harvey Elliott but won’t spend £40m on him

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 8, 2025
0
Wolves really like Harvey Elliott but won’t spend £40m on him

Harvey Elliott appears to be a player in demand ahead of the summer transfer window.Bournemouth are reportedly interested in the Liverpool attacking midfielder (Daily Mail), while Wolves are...

Read more

Why Juventus has been following Gianluigi Donnarumma this season

by TODAY IN SPORTS
May 8, 2025
0
Why Juventus has been following Gianluigi Donnarumma this season

Juventus had strong intentions of signing Gianluigi Donnarumma when it became clear that he would leave AC Milan on a free transfer. At the time, he was widely...

Read more
Next Post
Paul George Sits Loss Versus Celtics With Groin Soreness

Paul George Sits Loss Versus Celtics With Groin Soreness

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related News

Boks to host Azzurri, Wallabies in 2025

Boks to host Azzurri, Wallabies in 2025

November 27, 2024
Jordi Fernandez: I don’t need Ben Simmons to drive to move

Jordi Fernandez: I don’t need Ben Simmons to drive to move

October 27, 2024
Monday Morning Hangover: Is Conor McGregor subsequent for UFC 309’s Michael Chandler after back-to-back losses?

Monday Morning Hangover: Is Conor McGregor subsequent for UFC 309’s Michael Chandler after back-to-back losses?

November 18, 2024

Browse by Category

  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • Racing
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Tennis
Today in Sports

Get the Latest Sports News and Updates on TodayInSports.net. Soccer News, Basketball News, Baseball News, Golf News, Boxing News and More!

CATEGORIES

  • Athletics
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Boxing
  • Cricket
  • Football
  • Golf
  • MMA
  • NBA
  • NFL
  • Racing
  • Rugby
  • Soccer
  • Tennis

Recent News

  • Knicks vs. Celtics notes: Mitchel Robinson most impactful Knick, Porzingis puts positive spin on losses
  • Manchester United v Athletic Bilbao: Commentary, updates, goals and stats
  • David Ornstein confirms Manchester United have made an offer to Matheus Cunha – Man United News And Transfer News
  • Contact us
  • Cookie Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • DMCA
  • Get the Latest Sports News and Updates on TodayInSports.net.
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright © 2024 Today in Sports.
Today in Sports is not responsible for the content of external sites.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Featured News
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • More
    • Rugby
    • Golf
    • Boxing
    • Soccer
    • NBA
    • Racing
    • Cricket

Copyright © 2024 Today in Sports.
Today in Sports is not responsible for the content of external sites.