“We look like a basketball team now” - Mikel Merino speaks up on Arsenal's set-piece strength ahead of UEFA Champions League clash vs Shakhtar Donetsk

Arsenal midfielder Mikel Merino has remarked that the current Gunners squad resembles a team of basketball players due to their height and physicality. Merino was signed from Real Sociedad this summer for a reported £30 million.

Since his arrival midway through the 2019-20 season, Mikel Arteta has built the Arsenal squad into one that is tough to beat physically and excels in duels. This paid off last season, as they conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League and scored the most goals from set-pieces.

Arsenal have continued this trend by signing two more players over 6 feet tall for the current campaign. The first was Italian defender Riccardo Calafiori, who stands at 6’2", while Merino himself is 6 feet tall.

Much like last season, Arteta’s men have relied heavily on set-pieces and remain the most dangerous side in this area, largely thanks to their height. Merino humorously admitted that he finds it “crazy” to be one of the shortest players in the Gunners’ dressing room, a stark contrast to his time at Real Sociedad.

"Sometimes it is crazy. I am in the corridors or the training ground just walking, and back at my old club (Real Sociedad) I used to be one of the tallest so everyone was smaller than me and now I look around and everyone is taller than me,” Merino said (via Daily Mail).

"We look like a basketball team now! Football has changed and now you need a strong team, physicality is key, we need to be the most complete team possible. You need the physical aspect, technical aspect, the tactical one, you need to be a total team to achieve big things as we do."

The Spaniard also discussed Arsenal’s set-pieces this season, emphasizing that they treat it as a key focus during their training sessions.

"Football is evolving and set-pieces are, too. Everybody is paying a lot of attention to them. It is a big part of the game and you can win or lose a lot of games because of that. Here we try to train it a lot. We have the good staff and good players to do that and the physical advantage is something that if you try to get 100 per cent out of it, you can win a lot of games,” he added.

Arsenal are set to face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League on Tuesday, October 22. They will be hoping to bounce back after their shock 2-0 defeat to Bournemouth in the Premier League.

Mikel Arteta sheds light on Arsenal’s disciplinary record

Arsenal’s struggles this season can largely be attributed to their poor disciplinary record. They currently sit four points behind leaders Liverpool, and the three matches in which they dropped points were all games where they received a red card.

The most recent one was given to William Saliba, who was penalized for fouling Bournemouth’s Evanilson when he was through on goal. Arteta addressed the team’s poor disciplinary record, stating the need to focus on improving it in their upcoming matches.

"You see how much of a struggle it is for all of the teams to win football matches. When you want to do it with 10 men for 65 minutes, the task becomes impossible so we need to eradicate that. It’s clear why, the reasons and how. It doesn’t matter, we have to focus that it has to happen," he said (via Arsenal's official website).

Following their midweek Champions League clash, the Gunners will face a significant test against Liverpool in the Premier League, after which they will take on Preston North End in the Carabao Cup.