Gabriel Martinelli is one player who hasn’t been lucky in recent days, as his poor performance has exposed him as one of the reasons for Arsenal’s slump. Many people appear to agree that Martinelli needs a break.
Even Emmanuel Petit agrees, saying on Compare Bet, “However, it’s not the main reason behind his form; for me, it’s more about him being tired mentally and physically. He needs to recover, but I’m not very confident that Arteta will rotate.”
Yes, Petit agrees that Martinelli needs rest, but he believes Arteta will not easily bench him, so what does he do?
Petit “blames” Martinelli’s poor form on Zinchenko, claiming that the Ukrainian’s preference to play through the midfield rather than through the flanks does not benefit Martinelli.
The Arsenal legend argues: “I would also say he has a tough time due to the tactical setup. With Zinchenko tucking inside to the midfield, he doesn’t get the same support as Saka does on the right side with Ben White. I can understand that. You can see the way Arsenal play; most of the time, it goes down the right-hand side.”
Noting this, one could argue that if things don’t change, Arteta should try out a Martinelli-Kieran Tierney left wing in one of the upcoming games to see if the change will help Martinelli find his form.
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No it’s due to over playing
Most the players have played too much
I think Zinchenko should start in Midfield along with Partey and Tierney as LB
This will help Martinelli on left hand side and we can control Midfield through Zinchenko and Partey..
Zinchenko is more mobile than Xhaka.
He can pick a pass.
He is good in tight spaces…
Also finds his teammates in tight spaces
So I think Zinchenko should be starting as CM and Tierney as LB
I heard Partey is out tonight!
I’ve been thinking this same thing for quite some time!
Sorry but I don’t see a dip in his form at all, his lack of productivity in recent games is similar to Saka’s , because teams are now doubling up on both wingers. This could be blamed on not changing tactics as most of our plays are along the wings. City are similar if Harland plays, everything goes through him and they are one dimensional, that’s why I hope plays!
It seems Partey is out due to Muscle injury…
That’s a blow..
Will have to start with Jorginho..
If Partey is out, then starting Nketiah over Trossard would be a disaster, because we would need Martineli to drop deep just the way Jesus does, helping to unleash the wingers,
I hope Arteta is playing mind games.
That’s the news on the internet now
Without Partey we’re already 1 goal down
Massive blow if he is out but it’s still 11 v 11 and we are due a good game 🤞
I am surely not alone in believing that MA is, in general, too loyal to certain players and too reluctant to make key STARTING changes. Even his subs are often too late.
Had Trossard started last week at Brentford, instead of after an hour and a few minutes, I believe we would have won.
All managers, however good, have weaknesses and I BELIEVE THIS IS HIS.
In saying as I do, I accept that his squad of TOP CLASS PLAYERS(ie not Elneny, Holding, etc)is restricted. But even so…..!
Zinchenko is a very fine central midfielder, but like Xhaka, he does not have the pace to divert opposition players by running beyond Martinelli.As a consequence, while we may have more possession with the inverted tactic favoured by Arteta, we are not creating the threatening positions and chances from the left as we do on the other flank.You can have a high level of possession and control, but without an end product the tactic is simply not effective.Arteta will of course be fully aware of this but he has shown a reluctance to change the current set up despite a noticable dip in form and results during the past 3/4 weeks.There appears to be a lack of trust in what to me seems a fairly strong bench and, quite frankly, I cannot see many changes, if any, being made on the eve of such an important match.
If the news about Partey are true, then I dread the midfield combo of Jorginho and Xhaka..
Yes Jorginho plays and so does Tomiyasu, otherwise unchanged.
I find it hard to believe that we’ve played well all season with martinelli and zinchenko all season, but it’s only become a problem very recently. I feel like there’s been a bit of scapegoating in regards to Nketiah recently, but at least you can say there was a clear change when jesus got injured, so that would be a more likely cause from a tactical perspective.
Really though, I think several players are showing signs of fatigue, including martinelli – I think that’s the most likely issue.
Martinelli has got mentally tired, BUT I’m sure he will be giving city the runaround tonight. Having Leo Trossard as a impact sub could be our winner.