Arsenal star did something very ‘interesting’ in Newcastle win, he’s not done it before

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Robbie Mustoe has noted that Gabriel Martinelli did something never seen before in Arsenal’s 4-1 win against Newcastle United on Saturday.

The Brazilian international once again failed to register his name on the scoresheet as goals from Kai Havertz, Bukayo Saka and Jakub Kiwior extended Arsenal’s winning run in the Premier League to six.

Yet Martinelli himself still had a good game, with the winger causing all sorts of problems for Newcastle in the final third as well as assisting Havertz’s goal, Arsenal’s second of the night.

Gabriel Martinelli did something ‘interesting’ in Arsenal’s win vs Newcastle

And speaking on The 2 Robbies, pundit Mustoe noted that Martinelli’s role against Newcastle for Arsenal had changed, with the winger seen cutting in from inside rather than hugging the touchline.

Indeed, Martinelli’s pace and lethal finishing has left many Arsenal fans wondering how the attacker would do playing more centrally, and Saturday showed that the 22-year-old would excel in such a role.

Mustoe said when speaking about Martinelli’s performance: “Martinelli came in a lot more, it’s where the Havertz goal came from. He played a lot more inside, and it’s something to watch.

“We haven’t seen much of that before, Martinelli came sometimes be quite out on the wing and plays backwards and gets nullified, but it’s like the manager has said to him ‘if you feel like you want to run inside into these spaces,’ it’s interesting, and the pull-back for Havertz’s goal was a sign of that.”

Central role could be perfect for Gabriel Martinelli

Martinelli cutting deeply inside is something Arsenal fans haven’t seen often from the Brazilian livewire in recent weeks, yet Saturday showed that the tactical changed really worked wonders.

Whilst unable to score again, Martinelli’s performance was one of his most energetic in weeks, and this sudden change could all be down to being asked to attack the central space rather than bomb down the wings.

Indeed, the change from Mikel Arteta was an inspired one and one that could lead to similar performances in the coming weeks, with Martinelli eager to return to scoring ways this season.