Arsenal unintentionally pile huge pressure on Gabriel Martinelli

The story of Gabriel Martinelli’s season is one that come the end of the campaign will be fascinating to pick apart. He couldn’t get a sniff at Arsenal, and now he’s a scintillating star stealing all the headlines.

Apart from when injuries presented him with two starts to open the Premier League season he would play only 11 minutes in the following ten league matches.

Nicolas Pepe was being selected over him to come off the bench and the exceptional form of Emile Smith Rowe on the left side meant he was left to feed off of scraps. And then it all changed against Newcastle.

Since then he’s averaged a goal or assist every 118 minutes in the top-flight, but has demonstrated far more than just predatory instincts in front of goal with his entire game more refined and measured while still combining all of the devastating relentlessness that has made him undroppable over the aforementioned Smith Rowe.

Arsenal unintentionally pile huge pressure on Gabriel Martinelli having not signed a striker in the transfer window as he is the biggest goal threat

Therefore, the decision not allow Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leave in January and not replace him with another striker has unwittingly heaped a considerable amount of the goalscoring burden on shoulders.

Aubameyang wasn’t scoring anyway, but neither is Lacazette nor Nketiah. The leading goalscorer this season, Smith Rowe, isn’t in the team on account of Martinelli and as outstanding as Bukayo Saka is, his role on the right is so tactically vital that he doesn’t get into the same positions as his fellow 20-year-old.

By process of elimination, Martinelli suddenly has an almighty task on his hands: scoring the goals for Arsenal.

Teams are well aware of the danger he poses, as just like Saka the amount of bodies that swarm around Martinelli in possession has now doubled. When managers of Jurgen Klopp’s pedigree publicly laud your ability others will take notice.

Arsenal have placed this pressure on him, whether unwittingly or not. It’s unavoidable given the way the goals are shared out elsewhere as you can’t help but look to that left wing for answers to a problem that occurred throughout January. Fortunately he is someone who will embrace it and, if anything, use it as motivation.

Granit Xhaka and Thomas Partey won’t be contributing with the goals and despite enjoying a purple patch in front of goal in December, Martin Odegaard isn’t a figure you’d be relying on to share the load.

Not signing a striker was always a risk, but one Arsenal will feel was a calculated one for reasons beyond just the remaining 17 matches. In either case, a lot of this team’s success between now and May is in the hands of a 20-year-old with the world at his feet.