Merino, who said he last played as a striker when he was nine, was checking his shoulder constantly and elected to target Aaron Cresswell, the only unnatural centre-back among the West Ham back three.
Mikel Merino, the central midfielder deployed as a makeshift striker, was an easy target for criticism and ridicule after a performance that left Arteta “very, very angry”, but the 28-year-old was not the problem against West Ham.
“Because of what happened against Leicester with Merino coming on and scoring two, we guessed that he would start,” West Ham manager Graham Potter said afterwards.
Merino might have done better on the volley when he stretched to reach Thomas Partey’s hoicked ball into the box, and did not gamble on a Trossard cross which might have offered him a tap-in given that Max Kilman air-kicked his clearance.
None are well suited to playing up front - Trossard having shown that with a very limited display as a false nine against Leicester - whereas Merino is of a stature similar to Havertz’s.
