6ft 2in star admits he feels ‘tiny’ in Mikel Arteta’s giant squad

AT Real Sociedad, Mikel Merino saw himself as a giant of a man.

But after joining Arsenal in the summer, the 6ft 2in Spanish midfielder feels like one of the smallest members of Mikel Arteta’s elite group of NBA-sized man mountains.

Merino, 28, laughed: “It is crazy. I am in the corridors of the training ground just walking, and back at my old club I used to be one of the tallest, so everyone was smaller than me.

“Now, I look around and everyone is taller than me. We look like a basketball team.”

In their 2-0 defeat at Bournemouth on Saturday, the Gunners’ starting XI had NINE players above six foot — with just 5ft 8in duo Raheem Sterling and Leandro Trossard below that mark. Heading that lofty line-up was the 6ft 4in duo of William Saliba and Kai Havertz, along with fellow giants Merino, David Raya, Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel, Ben White, Declan Rice and Thomas Partey.

Since taking charge nearly five years ago, boss Arteta has made it his mission to assemble a squad not only with technical ability but powerful physiques to match, in their quest for Premier League three-pointers.

In the tunnel before kick-off, this net-busting Arsenal team are a frightening prospect for rivals, even more so from set-pieces with their slam-dunk corner routines striking fear into defenders. But these big guys sure can shift, much like the Harlem Globetrotters covering the pitch with a stunning combination of bulk, brains and beauty. SunSport even understands Arteta shows basketball clips to members of his team to encourage them to use their size more efficiently, creating space with clever movement.

Merino continued: “Football now has changed and you need a strong team.

“Physicality is key and 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 want to do. It is not only about being tall and big, you need mentality. If you are tall and big but don’t go with the 100 per cent intention to win the ball, it’s just nothing.

“Set-pieces are a big part of the game and you can win or lose a lot because of that. We train a lot and have the physical advantage. But the main thing is the mentality and we have that.”

Merino arrived in North London for £27,4million from Sociedad with a reputation for dominating duels, winning 326 last term — the most in Europe’s top five leagues.

But after making his first Prem start against the Cherries — having recovered from a freak shoulder injury suffered in his first training session back in August — Merino says he is much more than just a midfield bruiser.

He said: “That is one of the reasons I am here, because I can be a threat in the opposite box. That is something I need to work on to get better at. I have a high ceiling. — Sun

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