Well we played this last season:
Ramsdale
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
**Partey**
Ødegaard **Xhaka**
Saka **Jesus** Martinelli
whereas this season we've settled into something like:
Raya
White Saliba Gabriel Zinchenko
**Jorginho**
Ødegaard **Rice**
Saka **Havertz** Martinelli
It is a combination that is less quick to release the ball forward from the back, and more focused on finding its own spaces rather than driving on the ball and thereby creating more space for Martinelli to use.
Havertz isn't truly one for a gung ho give-and-go either, whereas that was more or less Xhaka's only approach to charging at the box.
I don't think it is "less attacking" (hardly seems worth trying to define that), but as a "Raumdeuter" Havertz will thrive alongside players who draw defensive pressure on the ball so he can haunt danger areas in the box.
Martinelli is a natural multiplier of pace and space in our game, but he needs nonzero pace and space to use those advantages. He's not currently a player who beats one or two defenders then makes good use of the ball—yes, that's a half concession to @RocktheCasbah's "pedal to the metal" criticisms of a year ago, I just don't think it means Martinelli is a player we should let go.
After all, Martinelli is very, very useful for transition football which is something we need in our toolkit. When it comes to his less than elite close control and decision-making, we have a coach who is regarded as brilliant and may be able to improve Martinelli—a player who's got everything else in his locker—technically.
