Cahill praised Merino for challenging Haaland, Sancho s bottleneck period was a bit tortuous

Arsenal defeated Chelsea at home, and at the theoretical level, the Gunners still have hope of winning the Premier League championship. However, Arteta's lineup is short. Former England star Cahill also believes that if the arsenal does not encounter such serious injury problems, the management can introduce several practical players during the winter break, and they have the ability to compete for the championship in multi-line combat. First, Cahill praised Merino for being able to challenge Haaland, and after Havertz was seriously injured, Merino officially became Arsenal's center. Although the Spanish star is a midfielder and he is not familiar with the layout of the front line, his goal efficiency is very high, and he also took this opportunity to develop his second attribute.

If Merino could get the ball from the beginning, maybe he could challenge Haaland in terms of statistics, which is why Cahill praised him. After all, Haaland has become a benchmark for Premier League strikers, including this season when Manchester City is in poor form, Haaland is still ahead of its efficiency. Although Sancho has performed well at Chelsea, his future is still a little confused. Cahill analyzed the technical characteristics of the English star - Sancho's bottleneck period was a bit tortuous. Many people blame Manchester United for not being able to use Sancho, which caused Sancho to plummet after he came to the Red Devils. However, Cahill said that when Sancho left Dortmund, his age was in a period of technological transformation.

, coupled with the unsuccessful new environment and a series of factors such as the head coach, which led to him encountering a bottleneck period, and this bottleneck period is also extremely tortuous. Including now that Sancho is now on loan to the Blues, many of his technical problems have not been solved. Despite this, Chelsea fans and coaching staff did not lose confidence in Sancho. They saw Sancho's pure love for football and unremitting pursuit, which was a light that could not be concealed by any technical bottleneck. Coach Porter began to tailor the training plan for Sancho, focusing not only on the sculpting of technical details, but also on cultivating his psychological adjustment ability in high-pressure competitions. He encouraged Sanchodo to participate in the team's tactical discussions, allowing him to gradually regain the calmness and confidence he had when he was at Dortmund in actual combat.

At the same time, Sancho himself also showed unprecedented determination and perseverance. He took the initiative to practice more, communicated actively with his teammates, and worked hard to integrate into the team's cultural and tactical system. In the sweat after each training, Sancho seemed to be talking to his past self, dismantling and overcoming those technical difficulties bit by bit. Merino's transformation journey was not smooth. At first, his staggering pace in the center position and his occasional disorientation caused doubts from the outside world. However, the Spanish international showed amazing adaptability and unremitting efforts. He began to study the center's running skills in depth, and the tacit cooperation with his teammates was increasing.

In training, Merino often works overtime to discuss with the coaching team how to find gaps in the crowded penalty area. His progress is obvious to all. As the game deepened, Merino gradually found his own rhythm. He was able to not only score points in the penalty area, but also use his outstanding footwork to create opportunities for his teammates. His comprehensiveness makes Arsenal's offensive system richer and more varied, and makes the opponent unable to defend. Fans were surprised to find that the former midfield commander is now equally ease in the center position, and even in some games, his performance is comparable to Haaland. So, Cahill praised Merino for being able to challenge Haaland, and such praise was not groundless.

The author believes that Merino is the team's discovery among the injury wave. However, there is another question. If Merino could develop towards the forward in a few seasons earlier, then can he become a super shooter comparable to Haaland? In other words, the positioning of the midfield may have delayed Merino's talent to some extent. For the Gunners, this stage of missing soldiers is quite difficult. However, from the perspective of Merino, he has experienced a significant improvement in his career. And Merino proved his potential with practical actions. During the days when Havertz was seriously injured and absent, Merino not only filled the vacancy of the team's center, but also brought new vitality and hope to Arsenal's forward line in a way that exceeded expectations.

In the future, whether Ha Xiaokai returns or not, Merino has already occupied a place in the Gunners' lineup, and his story inspires every player who is eager to break through himself and dares to try new challenges. In Arsenal's locker room, Merino's transformation has become a good story in his teammates. His diligence and persistence are like a clear stream, inspiring every teammate to persevere in adversity. The young players even regarded Merino as a role model and expressed their desire to learn from him, constantly tap their potential, and contribute more to the team. Arteta also praised Merino's performance. He believes that Merino's transformation not only solves the team's current urgent needs, but also adds new possibilities to the team's tactical system. Arteta said he will continue to trust Merino and provide him with more opportunities to play so that he can continue to grow in actual combat.