Merino and Zakharyan: a stronger and more magical Real

The Wednesday of hope and good news came to life yesterday at Real Sociedad. The team began to acquire another color, a higher quality, more power, more magic with the irruption at the same time of two players who were called to be decisive in gear: Mikel Merino and Arsen Zakharyan. It remains to be seen if Imanol Alguacil opts for one or both or if he makes them play as starters or from the bench, but since yesterday he is available Mikel Merino Zazon already Arsen Norayrovich Zakharyanpower and talent for a midfield that has suffered badly in the first two games.

Predictions come true and Merino He completed yesterday’s session with his teammates, showing signs of leaving behind his nagging soleus injury, which ultimately gave him more trouble than expected. MD has already advanced Imanol’s intention to train him and now he may or may not be in the starting eleven and on the list depending on how he sees him training. Zakharyan He was registered by La Liga yesterday morning, so everything is in order and the footballer is ready for his debut.

The painful absence of ‘8’

Merino produced surprise defeats in the first game against Girona and in the second against Celta, as well imanol I look forward to what I can do with him. It is undisputed that the team missed him especially in the stages of the game where he lost control, which caused him to see how two points flew for each of the first two appointments of the course. The fatigue of the midfield players –turrienteswhich followed by replacing him-, zubimendi and Bracewithout a substitute, was the key to the match that Celta dominated on Saturday.

Merino He played in the Cup final with two fractured vertebrae, for months with a broken toe and countless games with a shoulder injury, a gash on the forehead, various knocks… So surprised him in his absence in these two games due to a non-existent injury. deserve an official medical report from the Royal.

All this has triggered speculation about a possible march in this market, but so far there are no indications pointing in that direction, as indicated by this newspaper yesterday. If he has to leave because in these nine days of the market an offer that cannot be refused for him and interesting for the club comes, he will always do it looking for the benefit of Real and at the front door, not at back. or through pressure measures, like any partner in the past

Zakharyan, OK

For his part, since his first training session on Sunday, Arsen Zakharyan He has already shown that he is in perfect physical and football condition to debut in Las Palmas and as of yesterday he can legally play after being registered by the Liga. The MD revealed that all the documentation has been sent to La Liga since Monday and the papers are noteworthy because it is a player from outside the European Union. The club did everything to get it off the island.

Imanol decided

Today, Imanol decided, who will now offer the call for the match in Las Palmas. Merino will come with two days of training and Zakharyan, a week after landing in Gipuzkoa after 20 years in Russia. They will be bulwarks for the future, but they are unknown for the present.

In any case, their presence, especially in front of the upcoming battles, offers imanol a greater margin of maneuver to tactically dispose of himself and to dose efforts in the middle of the field. If you keep the 4-3-3, Merino will be placed in the second height in front of zubimendi and Zakharyan either Brace, in the third. If he switches to a 4-4-2, the Russian will be ahead of de Silva zubimendi, Merino and Brace.

However, it is not ruled out that Imanol reused the formula zubimendi–turrientes–Brace start and leave the Navarrese and Russian sources for later.

Three games away from being a bicentennial

Mikel Merino It was, for a long time, an institution at Real. And the accumulation of his notes and his curriculum is beginning to discover a footballer who will leave his mark. Navarrese will reach his 200th match for Real after the league break. The normal thing is that it will be the first after the break, that Real will face Madrid at the Bernabéu on Saturday, September 16 (with the Champions League next week).
And this is it, if that’s the case Merino, as expected, will participate in Real’s next two matches against Las Palmas and Granada, he will reach 199 official matches with an elastic txuri urdin. To date, his record includes 197 matches against Real, arranged with a brilliant balance of 93 victories (seven out of 100), 52 draws and 52 defeats. Therefore, the Navarrese won almost half of the matches against Real, matched a quarter of them and lost another quarter.
158 games in the Liga, 21 in the Europa League, 17 in the Copa del Rey and 1 in the Super Cup outline the career of the man from Iruñea at Real, where he is celebrating his sixth season. It’s great to see that your experience in Europe has been remarkable.
In 197 games at Real he signed more assists (25) than goals (19). He will be the fourth royalist to reach 200 after that oyarzabal (302), Aritz (233) and zubeldia (220).