Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal was on the score sheet for Brazil in their 3-1 win over Croatia.
The former Ituano man has had a mixed season. He has been exceptional in the Champions League and the cup competitions, but his Premier League form has been woeful.
Brazil fans slammed Carlo Ancelotti for starting Martinelli in their last game. He began the clash on the bench on Tuesday night but came on for the final 23 minutes.
The Arsenal number 11 scored a very good goal to seal the win, but media outlets in Brazil are still not convinced by his performances.
Is Gabriel Martinelli the best Brazilian in the Premier League right now? If not, who is?
Brazilian press react to Gabriel Martinelli’s performance vs Croatia
Gabriel Martinelli replaced Vinicius Jr in the 67th minute of Brazil’s friendly against Croatia.
The Arsenal attacker’s pace is always a problem for tired legs, and that proved to be the case very late in the clash on Tuesday night.
Endrick played Martinelli through on goal during a counter-attack, and the 24-year-old found the net with a first-time left-footed shot.
The Brazilian press are happy with the goal, but not his performance.
Tupi gave him a 6.5/10 and wrote: “He came on for Vini Jr and had an inferior performance to the starter. But he had the merit of making two good plays, and one of them resulted in his goal, closing the score.”
Globo Esporte rated him 7/10 and said: “He only had a reasonable performance, but shone in stoppage time, finishing well and scoring the third goal for the national team.”
ESPN were a bit more complimentary with their review. They said after rating him 6.5/10: “A much better performance than in the first game of the FIFA international break, largely due to the benefit of entering a game with space, which suited his speed. A well-deserved goal.”
Gabriel Martinelli may be better off as a substitute at Arsenal and Brazil
Martinelli will be the first one to admit that he hasn’t been at his best form lately.
Especially at Arsenal, the Brazilian comes up against low blocks almost every single game, and that makes it very difficult for him to get in behind.
For that reason, Martinelli could be better off coming on as a substitute against defenders who are tired. If the opponents are chasing the game, it becomes even easier for the attacker.
That is exactly what happened against Croatia, and Martinelli scored as a result. This, in our opinion, is the way forward.
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