Gabriel Martinelli’s lack of confidence is evident, as shown by his limited goal and assist contributions this season
Arsenal’s opportunity to take the lead again in the Premier League was squandered yesterday night when Mikel Arteta’s team lost 2-0 at home to West Ham United.
Nearly every player on the team performed poorly, making it a night to forget.
However, the Spaniard might try to rotate his team for the following game against Fulham, when he might start a star who makes £100k a week.
West Ham vs. Gabriel Martinelli
Gabriel Martinelli’s two goals and two assists in 17 Premier League games are proof that he lacks confidence at the moment, which is obviously clear when watching Arsenal.
His hamstring injury caused him to miss six games at the beginning of the season. But Martinelli looked confident and sharp in his comeback match against Manchester City, when he won the vital victory. From then on, the Brazilian was expected to step up, but he has mostly fallen short of expectations.
The 22-year-old did not impress, despite having very little space to work with West Ham’s sturdy low block and no overlapping fullback on his side. He appeared to have ran out of ideas when on the ball and was frequently left alone. Despite this, he did manage to get into several excellent crossing positions, but his finished product fell short.
In addition, his position on the team is to maintain width on the left, but with the defence so deep, he ought to be dribbling in at the back post considerably more frequently, especially with Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard consistently creating crosses from the right. The eleven had the fewest touches of any starting Arsenal outfield player, only managed one shot throughout the entire match, and lost the ball 14 times. He also provided zero precise crosses.
Reasons for replacing Martinelli with Reiss Nelson
Reiss Nelson has showed flashes of why he should be in the Arsenal starting lineup, even though he has only played in eight games, started none, and only averages 14 minutes per game. This is especially true given that, according to his teammate Eddie Nketiah, he was a “game changer” for the Gunners the previous season.
Even if Nelson’s stats have been greatly increased, it is still possible to highlight his advantages and what he could provide if he were to start right away.
The 24-year-old’s excellent technical abilities as a direct winger are evident. The English forward is more of a creative player than a goal-guaranteed one, utilizing deft passing and dribbling to create opportunities for himself and teammates even though he will let loose whenever the chance arises. This has also been demonstrated in the Champions League this season, as the forward has averaged 35 minutes per game while recording two assists.
In addition, his abundance of touches indicates that he can provide Arsenal an out ball on the left, much like Saka does on the other wing. In addition, Nelson is motivated to recover the ball and offer defensive support—a crucial attribute given Oleksandr Zinchenko’s tendency to invert the ball and recent inconsistencies.
Having said that, Arteta has supported Martinelli all season and shown belief in the winger; but, it might be time for the manager to give Nelson a chance to succeed, even if it means starting the Brazilian after an hour of play.
