Mikel Arteta had his head in his hands after seeing what one Arsenal star did vs Atalanta

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Arsenal and Atalanta battled hard but had to settle for a 0-0 draw in their first game of this season’s Champions League.

Gian Piero Gasperini’s side have caused problems to multiple big teams over the years. Liverpool and Bayer Leverkusen were both humiliated by them in the 2023/24 campaign.

Arsenal went to Bergamo expecting a tough test, and to be fair to Mikel Arteta, his game plan completely nullified any threat Atalanta attempted to pose.

However, the problem for Arsenal was at the other end of the pitch.

Mikel Arteta had his head in his hands after what Gabriel Martinelli did vs Atalanta

Gabriel Martinelli looks like a man with zero confidence at the moment.

The Arsenal attacker is one of the most talented wingers in the world. When he is in full flow, it’s almost impossible to stop him, and he has shown his class on plenty of occasions in the past.

However, Martinelli had an underwhelming 2023/24 season, and his performances this term have been very poor as well.

It really does look like the Brazilian has no faith in himself right now, and one moment in the game between Arsenal and Atalanta proved that.

In the 74th minute of the Gunners’ Champions League opener, Martinelli was put through on goal by Raheem Sterling.

Every Arsenal fan watching the game was waiting for the net to bulge, but Martinelli, after setting himself up nicely, made a meal of his shot.

The ball flew over the net, and Arsenal manager Arteta had his head in his hands at that point.

After the game, the Spaniard said, as per Football London: “We had a big chance for Gabi Martinelli to win the game that unfortunately he couldn’t take. So, a lot to improve.”

Arteta could make ruthless Martinelli decision soon

If there’s one thing Arteta has shown over the years as Arsenal’s manager, it’s that he isn’t afraid to make big decisions.

The Gunners boss has pushed big names like Mesut Ozil and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang out of the door, while also parting ways with fan favourites like Aaron Ramsdale and Emile Smith Rowe.

If Martinelli doesn’t get back to his best in the coming months, there’s every chance that he could be the next man out of the door- especially considering that Arsenal are pushing to sign Nico Williams in 2025.

The Gunners have another tough away trip coming up at the Etihad and Martinelli could lose his place in the side against Manchester City.

However, when Guardiola’s men came to the Emirates last season, Martinelli came off the bench and scored the winner. We really hope he can repeat that on Sunday.