Merson: Arsenal Lack a Player Who Can Make European Giants Fear Them

Arsenal legend and Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has cooled the Champions League hopes of Gunners supporters. He said that although the team is very solid defensively, they lack a 'fear-inducing player' who can make European giants wary, and he specifically mentioned Vinicius and Julian Alvarez.

In an analysis article before Arsenal's match against Napoli, Merson said: 'The Gunners' Champions League campaign last season was impressive, and they will still be strong contenders this time, but I don't think they have signed the decisive player who can take the team to the next level.'

He added: 'They have the ability to win the Premier League, but against strong teams, their attack is still missing a decisive factor. If they had players like Vinicius or Julian Alvarez, it would give them an advantage in the Champions League race.'

Speaking about Havertz, he said: 'I really appreciate him. He is a hardworking and excellent player who always makes the right decisions, but he will not score 20 goals in a season. To lead a team to a league title, he is undoubtedly a top player, but European competition requires something else.'

Merson also pointed out an important psychological weakness in Arsenal's attack. He said: 'When the Gunners face teams like Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in the later rounds, the opposition centre-backs and full-backs would wake up in the morning and say to their teammates: "I didn't sleep well last night, I am a little worried about who I will face next." I don't see Arsenal giving opponents that feeling. Perhaps only Saka can do that, but they lack that frightening factor.'

He also mentioned last year's final: 'Arsenal lacked pace and could not keep applying pressure on their opponents, while Paris Saint-Germain pressed aggressively and did not allow them to build out from the defensive area smoothly.'

Despite criticizing Arsenal's attack, Merson praised their defense: 'Their system is very strong and extremely solid. Against them, it is very difficult even to get the ball into the goal frame, let alone score. Chelsea came here with one of the top-three attacking combinations in the league, yet conceded after just 77 seconds, but I do not remember how many chances they had to score another goal at that time. This shows how dominant the Gunners are now.'