Martinelli can kick off his Arsenal career after Olympics triumph by Yash
Although playing just 22 minutes of football at the delayed Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Gabriel Martinelli can surge to the very top with the experience he got from the tournament.
Despite the fact that the Olympics is not what footballers truly dream about, it’s still a great platform for young athletes.
Arsenal will hope that Martinelli’s experience at Tokyo aids him in reaching a different level.
Everybody knows that he is a fighter but after Tokyo’s triumph he could become a beast.
The Brazilian has impressed since he made the switch to one of England’s most successful clubs as an 18-year-old from the fourth division of Brazilian league in 2019.
In his debut campaign, Martinelli became one of the most sought after teenagers in Europe, as he scored 10 goals and recorded four assists in just 26 appearances.
That’s one goal involvement in every 1.8 games, an impressive feat for a teenager, who was not even close to the first division of Brazil.
Arsenal fans naturally expected more from the player who oozes energy. But an ankle injury in June last year disrupted his development and sidelined him for several months.
Speaking about the serious ankle injury to English news outlet Daily Mail, he said, “I went to the club for the examinations, and they said it was not good and I would need surgery. It broke me. I cried a lot.”
Time out of football was a pivotal moment for him. Injuries are part and parcel of football and the Brazilian learned how to deal with them physically as well as psychologically.
When the former Ituano man made a return in December, it was a blessing in disguise for Mikel Arteta’s men, who were desperately looking for a spark in their Premier League campaign.
The U23 Brazilian international provided it, bringing home a massive performance against Chelsea alongside the newly added Smith-Rowe. That was the turning point in the Gunners’ season, who went on an amazing run.
If Martinelli is given more opportunities, he has the ability to come good every now and then. But Arteta being reluctant to introduce Martinelli’s lung-bursting runs last campaign was somewhat frustrating for the Arsenal faithful.
The Spaniard kept on using the underwhelming Will*an and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang, who cannot be expected to run up and down on the flank consistently, due to his age.
Using players who are better, rather than using players which were good in the past but continue to be poor in the present, was a common theme in last season’s first half period.
That certainly needs to change this season. Just play players who are in good form and are performing well. The team will automatically do better.
If Arteta does not learn from his mistakes, his journey with Arsenal might eventually end sooner rather than later.
Yash Bisht