Arsenal's Clark Kent: Flip #6 to make #9

The story of a popular comic book and movie superhero, Superman, is well-known to most people. One aspect of his personality is Clark Kent, a mild-mannered reporter and the other is a superhuman of immense strength and power.

When the world needs saving, Kent enters a phone booth and emerges dressed in a blue costume with a red cape, ready to face the greatest challenges humanity faces.

However, until recently, no one knew that in London there was a real-life Superman. In North London, to be precise. Only, this superhero doesn't save the world, but saves his team, Arsenal. His name is Mikel Merino.

While Clark Kent gradually discovered his alter ego and superpowers from childhood, the Spaniard accidentally realized his skills. Moreover, had it not been for his namesake and manager, Mikel Arteta, he might have remained unaware of his gift.

The Gunners boss invented his own phone booth and completely changed Merino and his role. But not because he is a genius - though he must have seen something and should be given credit for that - but because he was desperate.

On February 15, Arsenal were playing Leicester City on the road. The rivals were goalless at the break, and the London side's attacking trio of Ethan Nwaneri, Leandro Trossard, and Raheem Sterling was completely harmless. To make matters worse, Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Kai Havertz, and Gabriel Jesus were all sidelined for injuries, leaving Arteta without a striker on the bench. And then it happened.

Who needs Gyokeres when there's ruthless Merino? Spaniard's brace crushes Slavia

A last-ditch effort became an absolutely genius move, as the strategist subbed on Merino for Sterling in the 69th minute, and made him a centre-forward. And the midfielder - though no one can be sure what his real position is after everything he's done - bagged a brace and won the game for Arsenal.

Ever since that cold February day, Merino played 17 games as a striker, scoring as many as nine goals! Apart from crushing the Foxes, he scored a winner against Chelsea last season, while his goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-final paved the Gunners' way towards their first semis since 2009.

In the current campaign, Merino netted a vital leveller in a hard-won road victory against Newcastle, and last night, he almost single-handedly killed Slavia Prague in the UCL, bagging a brace.

Every time Arteta has offensive troubles, he turns to the 29-year-old, who then enters the locker room as if it were his phone booth, and flips #6, typically worn by defensive midfielders, making it #9, an omen of genuine strikers.

And then he gets the job done and saves Arsenal just like Superman saves the world. At the same time, it's proven that the Premier League table-toppers can survive without Saka, Martinelli, Jesus, Havertz, Martin Odegaard, and even the big-money acquisition, Viktor Gyokeres.

But can they make it without their Clark Kent? Hardly. And Arteta would probably never want to find out the answer to that question. Because everyone needs a superhero, even if he, like Merino, doesn't wear a cape.

UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE - MATCHDAY 4

Tuesday

Napoli - Eintracht Frankfurt 0-0

Slavia Prague - Arsenal 0-3 (0-1)

/Saka 32 pen, Merino 46, 68/

Atletico Madrid - St. Gilloise 3-1 (1-0)

/Alvarez 39, Gallagher 72, Llorente 90+6 - Sykes 80/

Bodo/Glimt - Monaco 0-1 (0-1)

/Balogun 43/

Juventus - Sporting Lisbon 1-1 (1-1)

/Vlahovic 34 - Araujo 12/

Liverpool - Real Madrid 1-0 (0-0)

/Mac Allister 61/

Olympiacos - PSV 1-1 (1-0)

/Martins 17 - Pepi 90+3/

PSG - Bayern Munich 1-2 (0-2)

/Neves 74 - Diaz 4, 32/

Tottenham - Copenhagen 4-0 (1-0)

/Johnson 19, Odobert 51, Van de Ven 64, Palhinha 67/

Wednesday

20.45: (7.00) Paphos (4.40) Villareal (1.47)

20.45: (8.00) Qarabag (5.30) Chelsea (1.35)

23.00: (3.20) Ajax (4.00) Galatasaray (2.15)

23.00: (2.05) Benfica (3.70) Leverkusen (3.70)

23.00: (5.50) Club Brugge (5.15) Barcelona (1.53)

23.00: (1.05) Inter (14.0) Kairat Almaty (45.0)

23.00: (1.45) Man.City (5.25) Dortmund (6.75)

23.00: (1.50) Newcastle (4.20) Ath.Bilbao (6.75)

23.00: (2.10) Olympique Marseille (3.75) Atalanta (3.50)

***odds are subject to change***