Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 33.
Player analysis: Mikel Merino (Arsenal)
Merino has become one of Arsenal’s most important first-team players over the past couple of months and will aim to continue as such at home to Crystal Palace on Wednesday.
Brilliant as a stand-in striker since Kai Havertz tore his hamstring in early February, but also able to seamlessly return to a box-to-box midfield role when needed, the Spaniard’s versatility and sound game intelligence has come to the fore.
The 28-year-old Merino now looks a very astute summer signing by the Gunners, providing Mikel Arteta with tactical variance and terrific end product.
Will he drop into midfield against Crystal Palace?
Merino has performed outstandingly well up front in recent weeks, but just as he did against Ipswich Town on Sunday, we may see him drop into midfield for the visit of Crystal Palace.
Six days out from a huge UEFA Champions League semi-final at home to Paris Saint-Germain, a match Thomas Partey is suspended for, it is expected Arteta will once again trial a line-up that sees Merino play deeper, with Leandro Trossard as the main striker.
It is a set-up that worked superbly at Portman Road, not least because we saw smart positional rotation from both men.
Arsenal’s second goal was a terrific example of how Merino can still impact matches from a strikers’ berth when playing in midfield.
In the build-up (below) Trossard floated wide to create a 2v1 around Ipswich’s left back, vacating the central domain.
His flick released Bukayo Saka to drive down the flank, with Merino (circled) poised to make a forward run.
By the time the cross came in, the Spain international was in a centre forward’s position, brilliantly flicking the ball onto Gabriel Martinelli, who scored.
Arteta may use their match with the Eagles as another opportunity to work on the interchangeable movement between those two players.
Whenever Trossard drifts wide, Merino will join in to become a part-time striker.
Supreme duel winner
Back home in his native Spain, Merino has been labelled a ‘duel monster’, having dominated those situations for Real Sociedad and the national team.
Despite getting off to a slow start with Arsenal, it is fair to say he has lived up to that reputation in the Premier League too.
No one wins more duels for Arsenal than Merino.
Most duels won for Arsenal 24/25
| Player | Duels per 90 | Player | Duels won per 90 |
| Merino | 16.18 | Merino | 7.87 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jesus | 14.48 | Lewis-Skelly | 6.52 |
| Sterling | 13.66 | Saka | 6.49 |
Most aerial duels won for Arsenal 24/25
| Player | Aerial duels per 90 | Player | Aerial duels won per 90 |
| Merino | 7.16 | Merino | 3.67 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Havertz | 6.75 | Havertz | 3.13 |
| Zinchenko | 4.44 | Zinchenko | 2.22 |
He is a major aerial threat inside the area, scoring three headed goals this season and in general play Merino also flicks the ball on nicely for supporting runners.
On the deck he is incredibly strong too, using his muscular frame to come out on top in physical 50-50s.
He is not a high-touch player (averaging just 26.24 passes per game) but Merino picks up lots of second balls and recycles them intelligently for the side.
Wherever he is played, Merino helps those around him shine by doing the ‘dirty work’ with great efficiency.
At the weekend he won 10 duels against Ipswich, while also winning four of six tackles.
As shown here, despite playing in midfield that afternoon he regained possession in advanced areas on a number of occasions.
Hard worker
Merino is rarely seen sprinting, and is unquestionably one of Arsenal’s slower players, but he is an individual that never stops running for the team.
Selfless in his work rate, he covers so much ground, with and without the ball.
Merino's heat maps across Arsenal's last six matches
In possession Merino makes a lot of runs to show for passes, and without it he presses with enthusiasm and drops back into midfield to hassle opposition players.
On a per 90 minute basis, he is comfortably Arsenal’s hardest working player and one of the best athletes in the entire division.
Most distance run (km) for Arsenal 24/25
| Player | Km per 90 |
| Mikel Merino | 12.2 |
|---|---|
| Martin Odegaard | 11.3 |
| Kai Havertz | 11.2 |
| Declan Rice | 11.1 |
| Leandro Trossard | 11.0 |
Most distance run (km) in PL 24/25
| Player | Km per 90 |
| Lucas Bergvall | 12.8 |
|---|---|
| Yehor Yarmoliuk | 12.6 |
| Dejan Kulusevski | 12.4 |
| Tomas Soucek | 12.2 |
| Mikel Merino | 12.2 |
*Minimum 1000 minutes
Understanding with Saka
In the last two matches, Merino’s delicate touch in and around the box has helped to create some wonderful chances.
At the Bernabeu he pulled away from his marker before playing a beautifully-weighted pass into Saka’s path to score against Real Madrid.
And he repeated the trick against Ipswich last time out, when slipping another inch-perfect pass into Saka’s path.
The England winger missed the opportunity, but this is a combination to look out for against Palace.
Decent finisher
One of the reasons Merino was asked to fill the void left by Havertz and Gabriel Jesus is his expertise at finishing and ability to stay calm.
How Arsenal attackers conversion rate compares
| Player | Conversion rate |
| Mikel Merino | 18.75% |
|---|---|
| Ethan Nwaneri | 18.18% |
| Thomas Partey | 17.39% |
| Kai Havertz | 17.31% |
| Gabriel Martinelli | 16.28% |
While defenders Myles Lewis-Skelly, William Saliba and Riccardo Calafiori have better shot conversion rates, no one else in the squad can match Merino’s accuracy in front of goal.
He is turning into a fabulous all-round asset to Arteta’s Arsenal, who look a better team when he is in the starting XI.