Is it time for those of us who defended Gabriel Martinelli, even when in questionable form, to take a deep breath? The Brazilian winger appeared to be far from his best for the majority of last season and the start of this season. The Martinelli we knew that was a constant threat to opposing defenders, vanished abruptly.
There were some plausible theories for why he was the way he was, such as a lack of stability at LHS, frequent changes at left back, and instability at LCM. Rumours also circulated that he received instructions to hug the touchline and play wide instead of tucking in closer to the opposition’s box. Certainly this poor form lessened the winger’s confidence, which is crucial in football.
There was a suggestion that with the right partners at the LCM and the left back (that’s Mikel Merino and Riccardo Calafiori), Martinelli could have the platform to return to form. While some questioned why we were making excuses for his poor form, just two games after Calafiori starts at left back, Martinelli has three goal contributions (one goal and two assists).
If Calafiori can ignite him the way he has, imagine what Mikel Merino’s addition will do. With the LHS imbalance resolved, Martinelli should have a chance to shine.
If you recall, Kai Havertz had little hope at the start of last season; he simply wasn’t scoring from the numerous opportunities he had, and his confidence was poor at the time. However, as he remained at Arsenal and garnered widespread support and respect, he transformed into a formidable striker, embodying confidence and the conviction that he can achieve anything.
Martinelli is where Havertz was at the beginning of last season, and like the German, he will eventually find his mojo as his confidence rises.
Daniel O
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All well and good, I agree that Califiori and Martinelli will have an impact on the left side, but who are you going to drop to make way for Merino? It definitely won’t be Odegaard,nor Rice and although I am not happy with Partey’s form I doubt that Merino can fill the same role.
Rice will have to drop to the 6 role
Merino is a very good player I can bet Pathey would be benched for him. Merino stats was better last season compared to what Pathey has played so far this season. He is similar to Rice in terms of their box to box and defensive abilities but more dangerous in the box.
Not a difficult decision; Calafiori at LB, Rice at 6, and Merino as the left-sided 8 in midfield.
Rice is a game changer as DB in the 6 slot, one of the top 3 in the world. As an 8, he isn’t among the top 3, sorry. He is good, but he shines and so does the team when he plays as a 6.
With this tweak, I expect Martinelli to get back to his scoring ways we saw 2 years ago, before his down year last year.
Arteta will already know how best to use Merino but for his more immediate return I suspect he’ll be used as a spare, play only a bit part or be a late sub (maybe?) up until he returns to optimum fit and is rearing to play his crucial part in the midfield.
This season will prove long and arduous given we’re likely to go for every trophy, right? Expect there to be greater demands put on our squad. This season the stakes are higher, many already expect us to usurp the current champions, all eyes are on us, therefore delivering trophies will take such a big effort and greater outputs from all our players. We’ll need Partey and Juninho as much as the newer recruits and young guns too.
The Xhaka like future has been missing in midfield. That’s what Mikel Merino was brought in for.
The Xhaka like future has been missing in midfield. That’s what Mikel Merino was brought in for.