Fresh from a Champions League high, Merino insists the Premier League challenge demands just as much focus as the glamour nights in Europe.
Mikel Merino has urged Arsenal to “really, really focus on Brentford” as the Gunners return to Premier League action just days after their euphoric Champions League demolition of Real Madrid.
Still basking in the afterglow of Tuesday’s 3-0 masterclass under the Emirates lights, Merino was quick to recalibrate his sights ahead of a critical domestic fixture.
“Yes, it’s really important to have the momentum to use the energy that we created the other day in the Emirates to keep going and just give the fans another great performance, get the three points and obviously keep the momentum and the tempo for the future games,” saidMerino.
“But obviously, really, really focus on Brentford because they are a really tough opponent with a lot of qualities. So, yeah, looking forward to it.”
Arsenal’s 3-1 win at the Gtech Community Stadium on New Year’s Day remains fresh in Merino’s memory, not least because he was on the scoresheet.
“Yeah, it was New Year’s Day, which is special always for me to come back here in England and be back in the Boxing Day stuff that you do,” he said.
“So, it was a really special day. Scoring as well is always great, but the most important thing was getting the three points away. Yeah, it was a really, really good memory for me.
“Obviously, tough game against a really good opponent where we could see in that game that they made things tough for us. So, I guess we’re going to use that game as our main focus to learn what we did good, what we didn’t do as good, and try to take it to win this game.”
