Arsenal’s season may be coming to a disappointing close, but there was plenty to be positive about as the Gunners came from behind to draw with Premier League rivals Liverpool.
The north London outfit, who will be trophyless this campaign, went into the clash knowing they needed three points to secure Champions League qualification.
It didn’t go to plan, however, when a quickfire double in the first half put Liverpool ahead, as the Premier League champions threatened to score more.
Mikel Arteta’s half-time talk seemingly fired the Arsenal players up, though, as goals from Gabriel Martinelli and Mikel Merino drew them level again.
With some tactical tweaks deployed by the Arsenal boss, fans are left thinking he made an error in not changing one player’s position earlier in the season.
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Arsenal fans think Gabriel Martinelli should have played as a striker earlier
With Arsenal’s draw against Liverpool putting them one point closer to earning Champions League qualification, there are plenty of positives to come from the resilience on display.
That includes the display of Gabriel Martinelli, who played as a centre-forward after some changes within the team.
The Brazilian looked a consistent threat, scoring a goal and helping to cause problems for the Gunners.
Given the striker problems that Arsenal have faced, it has left plenty of fans wondering if Martinelli should’ve been moved there sooner.
“Martinelli has gone into CF and Arsenal look far more dynamic!!” one fan pointed out on social media.
“Martinelli positioning as a CF is so elite. We never tried him at CF for years, such bizarre stubbornness,” another pointed out.
Another questioned why Arteta didn’t make the move sooner, stating: “I just wonder why it took Arteta this long to play Martinelli as our CF. A little too late.”
“Think Martinelli is a CF & we profiled him wrong!”
“Gabriel Martinelli has the potential of being a world-class striker. I’ll die on that hill,” another supporter stated.
“Martinelli playing striker has been a breath of fresh air in this half.”
It certainly begs the question as to why Martinelli wasn’t tried there much earlier by Arteta, with the star now finding some of his best form once again in front of goal.
Gabriel Martinelli could get another chance as a striker in Arsenal vs Newcastle
With Mikel Merino’s red card and Leandro Trossard’s injury, Arsenal have some dilemmas up front when it comes to the forward ranks.
Ethan Nwaneri could be handed a chance back in the team, with the youngster a potential option to play on the left flank.
That would open up space for Gabriel Martinelli to feature as a striker once again when Arsenal take on Newcastle next up.
It’ll be the final match at the Emirates Stadium this season, with the Brazilian offering a chance to show his worth to the home fans before the campaign closes.
It remains to be seen if that position will work for him in the long term, but he is certainly an option before the summer.
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