3 advantages of playing Leandro Trossard as a false nine

3. Gabriel Martinelli

Perhaps the biggest beneficiary of Trossard’s new role though has been Gabriel Martinelli. The 21-year-old excelled during the first half of the season, in part because Jesus’ tendency to drift across the front line afforded the winger plenty of space to make runs into the box. But, with Nketiah being a more traditional number nine, there was less space for Martinelli to do so, and his goalscoring output suffered as a result.

Having scored just once in the five Premier League games preceding Trossard’s introduction as a false nine, the Brazilian has since scored three goals in just two games after the fact. The Belgian’s superior ability to be involved in all phases of the game, and a tendency to drift across the attack much like Jesus, appears to have reignited the exciting flame that is Martinelli.

The boss seemed to echo those views after we demolished Everton on Wednesday night.

"“He’s also building that [relationship] with Leandro and he’s feeling a bit more freedom to move into certain areas, and now his confidence is high again. He’s scoring goals, he’s assisting goals and he’s in a good mood.”"

Arteta deserves a huge amount of credit for making the switch, and hopefully, Trossard’s new role can help us maintain our push for the Premier League title.