Why Gabriel Martinelli is feeling the effects of Gabriel Jesus’ injury

Despite goals against West Ham and Brighton, Gabriel Martinelli has had a tough run of form since returning from the World Cup.

The Brazilian’s recent dip is not necessarily cause for alarm because oscillations in form are typical for a young winger, and he’s still been able to get on the score sheet for the Gunners. So, what is causing this dip, and how can Martinelli get back to his best for the Gunners?

Why Gabriel Martinelli is feeling the effects of Gabriel Jesus’ injury

The first thing to note is that Arsenal’s system is absolutely working as intended.

Unfortunately, the injury to Gabriel Jesus has left Martinelli isolated on the left side of the attack. Granit Xhaka still regularly patrols that left half-space but his support is far less dynamic compared to what Saka gets on the right from Martin Ødegaard.

Saka is also helped by Ben White overlapping, which Zinchenko’s role does not include on the left side. Nketiah has been fantastic filling in for Jesus, and his off-the-ball movement has been incredible, but he has not been drifting out toward the wings to support the wingers as Jesus did while in the starting lineup.

This isolation is not benefitting Martinelli personally, but the team as a whole is thriving. Gabi’s strength on the ball, however, should give him help when taking on defenders one on one, which he often is, but it just hasn’t really worked the past few weeks.

The return of Emile Smith Rowe from injury should give Martinelli another burst of motivation, and that sort of competition will be great for everyone. Having Smith Rowe back will be huge as a bench option (as would a January signing) as well when Gabi has a tough time asserting himself.

I would love to see more lateral movement from Nketiah that we saw towards the end of last season to aid Martinelli down the left. He would rotate with the wingers which would make all of the attackers very hard to track. The game against Man Utd is an excellent chance for Martinelli to get back on track.