He wasn't terrible by any means. Similar to Odegaard if any of his key passes were capitalised on we wouldn't be so fussed about the performance.
The Angel Gabriel (Martinelli)
He looks so desperate to score that he's forcing things a bit too much or overthinking. Hopefully when he gets his first goal this season it'll help him get his confidence back.
5 days later
Looks bereft of confidence, not sure it's any deeper than that. If we're still having this conversation come January (assuming he's not suffered another major injury during that time) then his place in the squad needs to be considered.
He’s been shit for over a year.
Needs to be benched for a while, starting Saturday. He had an opportunity against a raw green kid today and still struggled - speaks volumes about where he is right now.
Dropped by Brazil for entire squad says it all.
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I think this whole Martinelli thing is getting overblown tbh. Gary Neville was all over him today on commentary too, the rat.
He's never gonna be a player that finishes a match having made all the correct decisions and he'll probably always frustrate at times. But it's just a slump he's in at the min. A decisive goal should shift that. I don't think he was bad today and he's clearly got Arteta's trust.
Never knew a ‘rut’ lasted over 12 months
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Sicario2 - Tier 1 He had an opportunity against a raw green kid today and still struggled - speaks volumes about where he is right now.
We as a team struggled to break them down until towards the end of the game. Saka himself was really quiet until the goal aside from that shot in the first half. Both teams seemed content to contain and hit each other on the break as nothing was being created otherwise. Emery certainly knew how to set up against us and on another day could have left with a win against us.
Lukazan But it's just a slump he's in at the min. A decisive goal should shift that. I don't think he was bad today and he's clearly got Arteta's trust.
Could have even had a couple assists the other week and another today if Havertz finished that near post chance. I don't know if its by instruction (though I doubt anyone would do anything not being instructed by Arteta and live to play again) but I'd prefer he came inside more often rather than constantly going wide and trying to put crosses in with his weaker foot.
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That's exactly the issue. When Saka gets the ball, his first instinct is to turn centrally to see where Odegaard is and if they can work a combination to get in behind. If Odegaard isn't there, Saka will often cut inside and try to attack centrally with his stronger foot.
When Martinelli gets the ball, his first instinct is to start running into space down the flank. Not only does it not facilitate any opportunity to linkup with Rice and Havertz, he also ends up running into positions which force him to use his weaker foot.
He can still be very dangerous being released in behind whilst teams are chasing us so he can run towards goal, but when the defence is set, he needs a fundamental shift in how he's playing because as a right footed left winger, he should be carving opportunities which allow him to shoot and cross with his right and not this current incarnation which is him constantly running to the byline and crossing with his left.
daredevil That's the thing I'm wondering about whether it is by design or not. When he had that great season he was coming in and linking with Xhaka and getting into the box more. Even his crossing was similar to what Saka does from the left, the Odegaard goal against West Ham toward the end of the season comes immediately to mind.
It's like with Xhaka and Zinchenko gone we've gone a different way of playing and that it requires Martinelli to hold width and try to get to the byline. I can't imagine it is going against what Arteta is asking of him otherwise he wouldn't be playing.
I feel pretty certain that most of what Martinelli gets stick for is stuff he's doing because he's been instructed to do it.
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for where we're going, marti is as good as it gets as a squad/bench/high minute rotation option. he's almost going into the feo zone, where the numbers are there but theres certain key elements that never quite develop. before making a final decision on whether he's starting material, I want to see him with merino for an extended run. have a feeling that guy is going to make alot of seemingly brainless players look better
I feel pretty certain Arteta doesn’t tell Martinelli to run head down into cul-de-sacs. Or to play bad passes, or take too many touches. He helps us keep our width and balance with his pace, but he’s just crud in the final third. At the level we are playing at, we need efficient players. That’s what Martinelli’s game is lacking, and doesn’t seem to be improving over time.
Martinelli is street footballer. He was developed very late in his teens as compared to all his peers. His game has never been refined much but has now stagnated and been found out by defenders making him extremely easy to defend against.
Arteta needs to give him some 1 on 1 coaching or something. His attitide and application is spot on so surely we can improve the current incarnation of him through coaching.
RowJimmy Some days this is true, but it can't be denied almost every "action" was poor versus Villa. Ball to Rice on the byline overhit, cross wasted behind the play ... he wasn't in great shape even by the frustrated standards he's been managing.
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I think there's a bit of an overreaction here. @flobaba and @Clrnc, do you really believe Arteta would let Martinelli keep playing if he drastically changed his style without direct instructions? You think Martinelli just decided on his own to stop getting into the box to score or to stop coming inside like he did when Xhaka and Zinchenko were in the team? And now he's just hugging the touchline and throwing in cross after cross to our new signing Havertz and to win corners last season without any guidance from Arteta? It definitely seemed like a tactic which can be seen by our confidence and results in scoring from corners.
It's hard to imagine that anyone at the club would be allowed to go against the detailed instructions the manager gives and still keep getting picked. That applies to everyone, including Odegaard and Saka let alone Martinelli. Let's wait and see if our setup changes again once Merino is in place and if that unlocks our left side again.
Edit: this is not to say he is struggling a bit, he clearly is. But getting to the root cause of it is the issue and I don't think it's as simple as saying he is a poor player or whatever because he isn't. His execution at times has been off, and you can see there is a confidence issue there. Just need to get him out of his head, but the good thing is that even when he isn't confident you never see him hiding. If anything he tries to force things that aren't there.
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He's making the game harder for himself. I was reading Super Tross' comments. He said while on the bench he had noticed space behind the defence and when he came on, he told Gabriel to look for him with a ball in behind. It's that simple. Arteta or any other manager can give you the "instructions", but your job is to make an impact in your position or to make the opponent react and adapt to you. You get in the game and figure out how to make a difference. How does Trossard come in and within minutes create two or three goal threatening situations, while Martinelli is out there for 65 minutes and basically does nothing throughout? Burns has called out the moments. Get down the byline but can't get the cross in, bad pass down the line when Rice makes the run. Faffing around with the ball, and can't beat your man one v one whether it's Matty bloody Cash or some random kid. Counter attack where we are 3 on 2 if he executes the pass to Odegaard properly (that was a tough one to get right, admittedly, but still the ball he ends up playing is too far ahead of Odegaard and too far behind Saka). Plus like Clrnc notes, he has zero variation to his game. Head down, one speed.
It's not good enough. And his ball recovery/ defensive work isn't as outstanding as it used to be either so it's hard to justify him starting these days.