Arsenal have interesting Martinelli & Smith Rowe decision to make

The winning feeling returned and it didn’t come in the form of a scrappy 1-0 or following 70 minutes of sitting on a lead. Arsenal comfortably saw off Southampton 3-0, in the end, to provide welcome preparation for West Ham.

Mikel Arteta’s hand was forced with the omission of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from the squad for a disciplinary breach, but it still came as a surprise to see him select the same starting lineup that had lost in miserable fashion away at Everton in the previous outing.

Same team, different performance.

Barring an opening 20 minutes full of sloppiness and nervy moments it was a display full of attacking intent and more sustained spells of pressure, with the woodwork preventing the scoreline from being more comfortable than it was.

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has an interesting Gabriel Martinelli & Emile Smith Rowe selection decision to make for West Ham clash

Southampton’s high pressing approach played into Arsenal’s hands, and once the second goal went in and the minutes ticked on the visitors lost their structure and intensity. They fell apart and Arsenal picked them off.

Looking as limp as a dead fish at Goodison Park, to see greater fluency in the final third without Emile Smith Rowe on the pitch came as a welcome relief. His ability to carry from deep was an absent trait from that loss, and sitting on the bench it felt like a matter of time before he was brought on after those early exchanges.

Gabriel Martinelli stepped up in his stead. Offering a contrasting skillset to the Hale Ender, he was one of the better performers in a game that suited his profile. There was grass to run into, forward-thinking full-backs to contest with and plenty of progression to him with Granit Xhaka operating slightly more advanced.

With Smith Rowe getting additional resting time as Arsenal dive head first into this congested fixture schedule, given the magnitude of the West Ham game on Wednesday it is ideal preparation.

The question is, do you change a winning team and, equally, off the back of his performance is there any reason to rush Martinelli out?

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