Arsenal got the result they wanted against Nottingham Forest, but Paul Merson is not convinced the performance says much about what comes next. For the Sky Sports pundit, the bigger story is not the narrow win itself. It is what it suggests about Arsenal’s readiness for Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Merson’s view is blunt: he cannot see how Arsenal beat Bayern Munich this week. He said the defeat to Brighton has scared Arsenal back into being an efficient machine, and that may be good enough in the league on certain nights, but it does not necessarily translate to Europe’s biggest stage.
Why Merson is unconvinced
The core of Merson’s argument is that Arsenal have become more functional than free-flowing. After the defeat to Brighton, he believes they reverted to a more cautious version of themselves, one built around control rather than flair. That may help them manage matches, but Merson thinks the current approach leaves too little room for the kind of individual spark that usually decides elite Champions League ties.
He put it plainly when he said X factor is what wins a Champions League, and he does not see that at Arsenal right now. That is not the same as saying Arsenal are weak. It is a narrower point: they may be organized, disciplined and efficient, but still short of the unpredictable quality that can break open a heavyweight opponent.
His criticism of Arsenal’s attackers
Merson also pointed to the way Arsenal handled individual attacking situations in the Forest match. He referenced Kai Havertz, saying that after being substituted at half-time against Forest, he would still have been on the pitch if he had played like that for Crystal Palace. The point was less about one player alone and more about a wider concern that Arsenal are not getting enough from their attacking talents in decisive moments.
That matters because Merson’s critique is not based on the scoreline alone. Arsenal may have won, but the manner of the victory did not persuade him that they are ready for Bayern Munich. In his view, the team’s structure is intact, yet the final edge is missing.
There is also a broader tension in Merson’s comments between efficiency and entertainment. He said Arsenal have gone back to a more pragmatic style after previously playing more entertaining football once they had won the league. For him, that shift may have made them safer, but it has not made them more dangerous.
That is why the Bayern fixture feels so important. Wednesday is not just another test; it is the kind of game that exposes whether a controlled team can still produce enough quality when the margins are tight. Merson’s answer is no, or at least not yet. And in a Champions League tie of this size, that is a serious doubt.
