Paul Merson believes the Brighton & Hove Albion defeat has left a lasting mark on Arsenal — and that the psychological damage will be plain to see when they face Bayern Munich in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Writing in his column for Sky Sports, Merson argued that Arsenal have abandoned the expansive football they showed at the start of the season and retreated into a familiar, cautious shell. "The defeat to Brighton has scared them," he said. "They've reverted to type — don't concede, manufacture one chance, take it if it comes."

A win that impressed nobody

Arsenal's narrow victory over Nottingham Forest did little to lift Merson's concerns. He described it as one of the most possession-heavy yet toothless performances he had witnessed, pointing out that Forest simply sat deep and dared Arsenal to break them down — and Arsenal could not.

"I've never seen a team have that much of the ball and not look like scoring," Merson wrote. "Arsene Wenger's sides would have had 30 shots from that amount of possession. Forest waited to get beaten and Arsenal couldn't beat them."

Merson identified a structural problem: the wingers rarely beat their markers, there is no movement beyond the ball, and nobody is holding the ball up effectively. He suggested other clubs have already identified the blueprint — sit back, stay compact, and wait.

Arsenal won't trouble Bayern

Looking ahead to the Champions League tie, Merson was direct. He sees no way Arsenal can outscore Bayern Munich in an open game, and believes Bayern will simply invite the match to open up and back themselves to win a shootout of attacking play.

He questioned whether Kai Havertz carries the fear factor required at the elite European level. "When Bayern's centre-backs go to bed, are they lying awake worrying about Havertz?" Merson asked. He also raised doubts about Viktor Gyokeres as a difference-maker at the highest level, insisting that X-factor quality — the kind that decides Champions League ties — is not apparent in this Arsenal squad.

Despite his concerns about the cup, Merson maintained his belief that Arsenal remain the most likely Premier League title winners, precisely because of their defensive structure. He argued that Arsenal tend to need only one goal to win, whereas Manchester City frequently need to outscore opponents.

Eze's adaptation under the spotlight

Eberechi Eze's half-time substitution against Forest prompted Merson to question whether the player can adapt to the demands of a club like Arsenal. Merson drew a sharp contrast between Eze's role at Crystal Palace — where the entire team's attacking play revolved around him — and the crowded creative environment at Arsenal, where Bukayo Saka, Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, and Bruno Guimaraes all compete for influence.

"At Palace, the team talk is: give the ball to Eze," Merson wrote. "At Arsenal, he gets on the ball 25 or 30 times instead of 100, and he has to make things happen every single time."

Merson recalled a similar moment from the previous season — an Aston Villa match where Eze lost concentration at the far post, Matty Cash scored, and Eze was substituted at half-time. He did not start a Premier League game for nearly two months after that. Merson acknowledged Eze's talent but warned the margin for error at Arsenal is razor-thin, and a deep bench makes it easy for the manager to pull him at the first sign of underperformance.