However, enough has been said & done during the week for this to become another article on “The Problem with Premier League Officiating”. A current, and hopefully short term problem that Mikel Arteta will be looking to address is helping Martinelli find that scintillating form he produced in the 22/23 season where he scored 15 goals & assisted 5 times in the Premier League from the left hand side, It is only fair to say that more was expected to come from him during the 23/24 season. Despite the fact Martinelli only scored 6 goals & assisted 4 times in the league last season, It could be said other factors played a part in his 50% decrease for goal contributions season on season. The departure of Granit Xhaka & the inconsistency of who played at left back would have certainly played a part in Martinelli’s overall performances, not to mention the foot injury he sustained against Sheffield United; it would be unfair to say he had a poor season by his own standards set the season before.
The big question around Gabriel Martinelli at the moment is, when will we see his form from the 22/23 season again ? To me the question should be: how do we redefine Martinelli’s role in this team? With Trossard & Sterling now competing with Martinelli for that left wing position we could potentially see Martinelli utilized in different positions to seasons past. From the 3 games Arsenal have played this season, it would be fair to say Wolves, Aston Villa & Brighton have all adopted a low block approach, along with their forward lines dropping deeper to prevent the ball from going into Arsenal’s midfield when out of possession. Arsenal’s response to this was emphatic by making use of the wide men, particularly by going down Saka’s right hand side. Martinelli started the first 2 games this season, but appeared to struggle to get much joy against his opposite number. One reason for this could be his direct style of play on the left whilst being right footed, this may now have made him more predictable for the opposition defenders to read & defend against when their team is set up in low block.
Credit: Arsenal.com
This is where I feel Trossard or Sterling may have the upper hand on Martinelli when it comes to breaking teams down who set up in a low block against Arsenal. It is something that will certainly need to change considering all goals scored or assisted this season have come from Arsenal’s right hand side in the build up play. This does not mean however Martinelli’s days playing on the left could be coming to an end… far from it. If there is one thing Martinelli thrives on, it is having space in behind opposition defence to run into; based on previous form it would be fair to say Martinelli always appears to deliver in the big games with the most recent being goals scored against by Manchester City & Liverpool at the Emirates last season. His intensity in pressing is also a key attribute of his which has played a major factor in Arsenal coming away with positive results in these games. It would not surprise me in the slightest if we were to see Martinelli appear in games against the big 6 this season but less frequently in games against teams outside the top 6 when it comes to Arsenal’s left wing.
Furthermore, if Trossard & Sterling do become Arteta’s preferred options on the left hand side, it could potentially open up the door for Martinelli to challenge Bukayo Saka for a position on the right hand side. This competition would be more than welcomed by Mikel Arteta in order to manage Bukayo Sakas minutes throughout the season. With a run of games on the right hand side, we could see a refreshed and rejuvenated Martinelli in a role where he can flourish again without the weight of expectancy on his shoulders. Arsene Wenger’s philosophy of managing players out of form / confidence was to always encourage them to return getting the basics right and go again. This is something I am sure we will see with Martinelli this season before he gets back to his best.
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