Mikel Merino just made a claim about Arsenal's midfield that's hard to argue with

Arsenal player Mikel Merino believes 'Arsenal have probably the best midfield in the world'.

Arsenal beat Como on penalties in their final pre-season match, and it is fair to say that they looked quite good, even though there were some obvious problems that Arteta would need to solve.

However, not many of those issues originate from their midfield, which is why it is fair to say that Arsenal have a pretty good midfield, and Merino genuinely believes there is no other team that has a better one in the entire world.

He said: “Honestly, it’s unreal. We probably the best midfield in football. The amount of quality that we have there, with every player that can come on the pitch and make a good shift. It’s great.

“That’s good for the team. That’s good for the squad. It raises everyone’s level because if you have a bad day, the one that is close to you is going to do a great job.”

Arsenal probably have the most complete midfield in the world

Arsenal definitely have the most complete midfield in the world. There are players with plenty of experience and youngsters. There are technically gifted players with some physically dominating midfielders. There are some deep-lying playmakers as well as some out-and-out 10s with a sling of through ball. Let's look at it player by player.

There is something for every single team that they will face and every single system they will play in.

Bruno Guimarães is a brilliant 6 who can keep the ball for long stretches and be a physically dominating player. Declan Rice is one of the most complete midfielders in the world, with brilliant set-pieces and good long-range passing.

Martin Zubimendi is one of the best deep-lying playmakers in the Premier League at the moment. Martin Ødegaard is, on his day, one of the best attacking midfielders there are in the world with a wonderful left foot.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is a brilliant option to have when you need technical ability mixed with the physical presence of a youngster who is supremely athletic. Eberechi Eze is able to get into brilliant positions in the box and is a good dribbler with the ball.

Not to mention the very person who talked about it in the first place, Mikel Merino, who can literally play as a deep-lying playmaker as well as a striker. There is something for everyone.

You can argue Paris Saint-Germain have the best midfield in the world, but it just isn't as complete as Arsenal's. It is not as versatile as Arsenal's.

They lack an attacking midfielder. They lack midfielders with a strong aerial presence, even though the technical ability and core strength of players like Vitinha and João Neves are very high.

Technical ability-wise, they probably are the best in the world, but if you look at every single aspect of a midfielder's game from start to finish, Arsenal's midfield is very, very complete.

You can have differing opinions on who's got a better midfield than them, but there is definitely no team that's got a more complete midfield than the Gunners.

And even for midfields that people think are better than Arsenal's, chances are they probably aren't anyway. It is just that no one really wants to admit it.