Merino: The first ball was a good pass from Trossard, I just appeared in the right position

Hupu News November 05, UEFA Champions League, Arsenal defeated Slavia Prague 3-0. After the game, Arsenal player Mikel Merino was interviewed by CBS Sports.

Congratulations on winning Player of the Match. It seems like Arsenal have players like you stepping up without their traditional strikers, right?

Merino: Yes, I have been playing this position in the past season and in several games this season. I feel like I've adapted well to the role and my teammates understand my strengths and weaknesses.

Football is a team sport, and I know we have a very good lineup, a great team. So I'm just doing my job and doing my job. I'm lucky that I can score goals and help the team. So I'm excited and very happy.

Your first goal came at the beginning of the second half when there was a lot of space around you, right?

Merino: Yes. I knew the opponent was a team that was very close to the ball and they were playing man-to-man throughout the game, so the key was to find the space between the two centre-backs.

At the beginning of the game, I was more concerned with containing the first central defender, but then I got behind him so that he could not keep an eye on me. Leo (Trossard) delivered a great cross and I was just in the right place at the right time and gave the team a little nudge to score.

The team has kept clean sheets in eight consecutive games, tying the club record. How long can this zero-block momentum continue?

Merino: The team's momentum is very good now. I am really happy to be able to score so many goals and keep so many clean sheets. We know that the effort this team puts in on the defensive end is amazing.

We need this kind of defensive performance in every game, because if we can keep a clean sheet in every game, then we will be very close to winning every game. So let's keep this good going and hopefully we can keep this clean sheet going for a little longer.