It's time for Gabriel Martinelli to shine!

 


It's time for Gabriel Martinelli to shine!

By Felix Holland

After commentating on Arsenal’s hapless 3-0 defeat to Liverpool, it was inevitable that Gary Neville would have something to say on Monday Night Football. 

On Sky’s flagship football show, Neville has been cutting through the weekend’s action for almost a decade and never disappoints. He’s eagle eyed and sharp tongued and Gunners fans could guess what was coming.

Neville might not be Roy Keane but what he said on Monday was certainly bruising.  

It didn’t take the former England and Manchester United defender too long to get into his stride and he delivered a take-down of Arsenal’s senior stars, who he labelled as a “little mafia.” 

He said he felt “uncomfortable” watching the Gunners, particularly their front six who he believes are disconnected from manager Mikel Arteta. 

“I remember QPR, in the early days of Monday Night Football, had a team I really didn’t like,” he started.  

“I think it was Sunderland once where I thought, ‘there’s something not right there’, there are a couple of Chelsea performances where I thought they were turning on the manager at a certain point. 

“I have to say, coming out of Saturday, we don’t know what goes on behind the scenes at Arsenal but there were a few of those players on the front part of the pitch, it looked like a little mafia.” 

Nicolas Pepe, Alexandre Lacazette, Martin Odegaard, Thomas Partey, Dani Ceballos and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were all in the line of Neville’s fire. And who can argue. 

It was insipid. It was lifeless. And to Arteta, it was probably insulting. 

Which makes you wonder if the boss will do the sensible thing and make drastic changes. Lacazette and Aubameyang look increasingly like the past - particularly worrying given the latter's hefty new contract he signed just last year. 

It’s time for Arteta and Arsenal to look to the future now their Premier League season is on a life support machine, with the Champions League surely out of reach via league placing and even Europa League qualification disappearing out of view.  

GABRIEL MARTINELLI 


Gabriel Martinelli’s stats hardly make for a strong case for first-team football, with zero goals from 12 appearances this season. 

But since his move from Ituano in 2019, he has shown more than enough to suggest can become a Premier League superstar. 

Martinelli’s debut season finished with 10 goals from 26 games, including a stunner against Chelsea that saw him sprint 67 yards and finish coolly in a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge. 

A knee injury in training in June ruled the Brazilian out until December and it has been a gentle re-introduction since. 

But whenever he’s played, Martinelli has impressed.  

He zips around with energy and enthusiasm, in contrast to the plodding Lacazette, and is just the type of striker Arteta is looking for to lead the aggressive press he demands. 

He also has excellent technical ability and can come deep to spark attacks, drift out to both the left and right wing and carry the ball at speed – something Pepe is too inconsistent at doing. 

Arteta has repeatedly said Martinelli is going to develop into a striker and the upcoming Premier League games against Sheffield United, Fulham, Newcastle and West Brom appear the perfect chance to see how far he’s developed. 

If he feasts on those soft defences, Arsenal will know they have their man. If Lacazette and Aubameyang play again, what will anyone learn? 

Arteta’s rebuild is clearly going to focus around Bukayo Saka, Emile Smith Rowe and – despite his underwhelming performance on Saturday – Martin Odegaard, if they do choose to buy him permanently this summer. Martinelli fits into that bunch of young, hungry footballers.  

TIME TO DROP PIERRE? 


Arteta has a conundrum ahead of Thursday’s massive Europa League quarter-final first leg against Slavia Prague. 

With Kieran Tierney on the treatment table and Smith Rowe also injured, Arsenal are missing a natural left footer and that will leave the side unbalanced. 




Tierney plays a key role in Arsenal’s attack, with his energy and ability to carry the ball forward at speed. Aubameyang, who often plays ahead of him, offers little in both those categories. 

Whether it’s a lack of motivation, unhappiness with the manager or he’s just out of form, the striker isn’t cutting it right now. 

The Aubameyang problem is going to linger and his massive contract is going to be as difficult to shift as a stuck boat in the Suez Canal if he continues to under-deliver.

He remains a fabulous talent and his track record in front of goal has made him worth persevering with. Until now. 

Thursday offers Arteta a chance. Without Tierney’s energy, Arsenal need a spark on the left and Martinelli could provide it. He’s dropped Aubameyang before for ill-discipline after he turned up late for the North London derby. And he should do so again. 

As Martin Keown said: “Should Arteta not be dropping him for performing as poorly as he did against Liverpool? If he sticks with him, he risks losing the respect of the group. 

“It’s time to bring in 19-year-old Gabriel Martinelli. He is too good to be sitting on the bench.” 

Over to you Mikel.

Photo Credit: Getty Images


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