Arsenal: Where does Gabriel Martinelli fit in next season?

Putting all the anguish of the previous season behind, the coming campaign is one to be excited about. There are plenty of reasons for the complete opposite, granted, but the likes of Gabriel Martinelli paint a brighter future at Arsenal.

Before the season kicks off in three weeks there is the small matter of four transfers to aim for, as well as significantly more sales to sanction. So in that sense, worry might be the primary emotion.

The kids are alright, though. They’re more than alright. Bukayo Saka is a burdened with glorious purpose, Emile Smith Rowe has a ceiling not visible from earth and Martinelli is electric. That’s three names to get the blood pumping.

But might it only be two?

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Should Gabriel Martinelli be worried about his chances at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta next season with possible new transfers this summer and a disrupted pre-season?

Being called up to the Brazilian national team for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the last minute will have been a huge honour for the 20-year-old. He’d never shied away from his dream to play for the Selecao and while not as prestigious in the footballing world, the Olympics are still a major event.

Andre Jardine’s side blew Germany away 4-2 in their opening game. An outstanding result missing one key ingredient: Martinelli. He didn’t even make the bench.

If he isn’t going to be chosen then it’s a real shame. Off the back of a troubling season, this time of the year would have been perfect for him to gain minutes ahead of a huge eight months personally.

It can also be viewed as his version of pre-season, but it’s not the same as being involved with Mikel Arteta and the group and getting up to speed within the Arsenal environment before Brentford away on August 14.

Fans already questioned the amount of minutes he earned under the manager last season. Of course, so much of 2020/21 was blighted by a long-term knee injury, one that required surgery and kept him out of action for 30 matches. Shortly after returning there was another minor calf problem, and then an ankle issue.

His setback was a serious one and had to be monitored accordingly. While Arteta did that, when it was felt he was fit as a fiddle he was still left to feed on scraps late in matches. He made use of those outings: hungry, full of frantic energy, direct and imposing.

As pre-season drifts by with him in Japan, Brazil’s success may well push his Arsenal return back. Martinelli will not want to waste any time, such is his appetite, and if he plays no minutes there will be no need for an extended break. His preparations will have just taken place overseas. He’ll want to play immediately and if he’s benched all tournament then he could be ready to fire straight away.

But where does he fit in?

Continued…

Gabriel Martinelli May Struggle for Arsenal Minutes

Ask any Arsenal fan whether Martinelli deserves to be starting and they’ll say yes. Ask any Arsenal fan who should drop out in place of Martinelli and they may be stumped.

The latter point isn’t entirely true, since the majority will insist he should be playing centre-forward instead of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. While the case for that is strong enough, Gabi as a striker is still relatively hypothetical at this point.

In his debut season he was scintillating through the middle away from the Premier League but that has yet to transpire against tougher opposition. That shift is still a work in process despite him boasting all the tools to lead the line. He has the best aerial threat, for starters.

Arteta will not make that call, however; the captain won’t be dropped for Gabi.

James Maddison, or whoever comes in to share the creative mantle with Smith Rowe, casts further doubt. If it is Maddison it will be under the proviso that he starts every week. If he plays No. 10 then Smith Rowe goes out onto the left wing.

That leaves Bukayo Saka and Nicolas Pepe to battle it out for the right-winger spot, a duel with only one clear winner.

And even that begs the question of where does Pepe play when all are fit? The Ivorian finished last season in blistering form, the most destructive version of him we’ve seen since he arrived and one that can’t be cast back to the bench as Arteta did in favour of Willian for the first half of 2020/21.

Martinelli has to play. There is a case for him being the most naturally talented youngster at the club. No other player anticipates space like he does; no other player works as hard off the ball as he does; no other player is as direct as him; he’s rapid; he’s two-footed; he’s penetrative.

Rotation is essential, but with no European football to contend with it limits the opportunities for more than just Gabi. Willian’s minutes from last season should be distributed out accordingly with Pepe taking the majority, but in that front four it still reduces the chances for the Brazilian.

Should he be worried? Should the fans be worried?

Continued…

Gabriel Martinelli Will Play for Arsenal – He’s Too Good Not to

This is competition. This is what Arsenal haven’t had enough of for years. It’s been a case of choosing the lesser of two evils, not the A+ or the A++. It’s healthy.

Where there is worry to be had is with how many starts he will make. Overlooked is how the team that starts a match is often nothing like the one that finished it, either in personnel or style and approach.

As a weapon off the bench there are few as dangerous of Martinelli, who feasts on weakness and preys on indecision. Even when defenders keep the spaces right and make the right decisions, he tends to come out on top.

Statistically he’s through the roof. Sample size and the timing of his appearances needs remembering his but his ability to get into threatening shooting positions and instinctively understand space is why he records a npxG+xA of 0.80 per 90. 98th percentile numbers, backed up by a high volume of shots attempted, dribbles completed, pressures, interceptions, blocks, clearances…the lot.

You can’t ignore those numbers. They’re figures that leave all those vying for a place in their team having to excel or lose their spot.

Arteta has been heavily critiqued for his perceived lack of faith in Martinelli, claims he’s regularly played down, and even most recently when discussing Smith Rowe and Kieran Tierney’s new contracts he name dropped Gabi as a unique talent.

"“Kieran has this capacity, and Emile as well, to lift the crowd with an action, Gabi Martinelli has this capacity – and this is something you either have or you don’t have,” he said on the official Arsenal website."

The manager added after the Brazilian’s late winner against Crystal Palace on the penultimate game of last season that he couldn’t be any closer to choosing him in the starting lineup.

"When asked how close he was, he replied: “Very close and he needs to keep fighting to be closer and closer. We need to understand where the boys are and the phase of their development, what they have done already this season and last season.”"

And with all of this it’s so easy to forget he’s only just turned 20 years old. An industrious shooting machine, there will come a point where anything other than being in the starting lineup becomes unfathomable. He’s almost there already.

But we should stop short before assuming he’s going to be starting every match. Praying for the ‘breakthrough’ season, it just might not be this one if everyone else keeps their form up. Nevertheless, he will get his chances. If he keeps taking them as he has, there will be nothing to fear.