29 September 2023 , 08:25
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Paul Merson has disagreed with Mikel Arteta over the quality of Fabio Vieira, insisting the midfielder "isn't good enough" for Arsenal.
Vieria has started both of the Gunners' last two games, having been a substitute for their first four outings in the Premier League this season. Assists after coming off the bench against Everton and Manchester United earnt him a place in the starting line-up.
Arteta has frequently praised the Portuguese star, who struggled with injury in his first campaign at the Emirates last year. Merson does not agree with the Arsenal manager's assessment though.
And with the Gunners already four points behind leaders Manchester City, each game is quickly becoming must-win. With their title challenge clearly at stake, club legend Merson believes it is time for Arteta to drop Vieira.
"I was so confident that Arsenal would win on Sunday but when I saw the teams, I was majorly worried. Jesus on the wing, Nketiah up front, Fabio Vieira - I don't think he's good enough. Then Declan Rice comes off and Jorginho comes on," Merson told Sky Sports.
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"It wasn't Arsenal's strongest team but when you think about the Champions League and all the games they have to play, it looked a bit weak on Sunday, didn't it? Now, if Arsenal lose against Manchester City on October 8, they will be out of the title race. They would be seven points behind.
"Arsenal wouldn't catch Man City if there were 600 games left if City had a seven-point head start. You just can't make that up, as from then Arsenal would only have one game against City and it would be away. That game at the Emirates is a huge match, it's make or break already."
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Vieira has impressed in his appearances off the bench (Getty Images)Merson faces a struggle to convince Arteta though, with the Arsenal boss a huge fan of Vieira. Back in March, the midfielder was a standout player in the Europa League draw with Sporting Lisbon, leading to high praise from his manager.
“We’re really happy with him, I think he deserves more minutes than he’s had especially in the last two months. Obviously he had a difficult start because he was injured as soon as he joined," Arteta said.
"So he required a bit of time to get back to the level that we want. You saw tonight he was one of our dangerous players, making things happen and he’s a player that I absolutely love.”
Arteta clearly has not lost his love for the 23-year-old, again throwing his backing behind him following his lively cameo in the recent win over United. Vieira only played the final 13 minutes after coming on for the disappointing Kai Havertz, but was able to register an assist for the Gunners' third goal.
"Today we decided to start with Kai, we knew that Fabio would have a big impact especially in the last few minutes, or final minutes if we needed something," Arteta said.
"Something has changed with Fabio, you notice with the crowd when he steps in he is different to how he was last year. He’s more mature, he’s more senior in the squad and his confidence in the squad is high so I’m really happy to have those options."