Mikel Arteta has played a big part in Gabriel Martinelli’s improvement at Arsenal.
The Gunners signed the Brazilian from Ituano back in the summer of 2019. Nobody had really heard of him back then, but he became an instant fan favourite at the Emirates.
Martinelli has had his ups and downs in the famous red and white, but nobody can deny the fact that he has reached a whole new level thanks to Arteta’s tutelage.
Now, the Arsenal number 11 has revealed the one thing his manager taught him right after he was appointed as the boss in 2019.
What Mikel Arteta forced Gabriel Martinelli to stop doing at Arsenal
Martinelli had good success under Unai Emery at Arsenal.
The duo spent only a few months together, but the Brazilian still managed to score seven goals and provide two assists in under 600 minutes of game time.
The 23-year-old’s record under Arteta, unsurprisingly, is not as good as the above because of the significantly larger sample size, but the improvement is there for everyone to see.
Martinelli was asked about his boss, and the Brazilian revealed a very small detail that Arteta forced him to do that has made him so much more dangerous.
He told Arsenal.com: “He’s been really important in my growth in football. I think when he got here, I was 19.
“We’ve been through the process with the team and he has helped not just me but every single player in the squad. For me, he was really important, helping me with my game.
“When I’m on the left, I used to control the ball with my right foot. When he came, he said ‘no, try to control the ball with your left so you can take the opponent on.’
“Since then, I tried to do it and nowadays I do it every time, so it’s super easy for me.”
READ MORE: Gabriel Martinelli says there’s a defender at Arsenal who’s actually faster than him
Arteta also deserves some blame for Martinelli’s struggles
In the 2022/23 season, Martinelli was one of the best players in the Premier League.
The former Ituano man scored 15 goals and provided five assists in just 36 league games. He played a big part in helping the Gunners mount a title challenge.
However, in the following campaign, he managed just eight goals in all competitions and has scored just twice this season as well.
Injuries and form have definitely had an impact on Martinelli’s struggles, but Arteta’s decision to team him up with Jakub Kiwior and Kai Havertz on the left side of the pitch for large parts at the start of last season hurt him.
To add to that, most of Arsenal’s attacks came down the right flank last season, where Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Ben White formed a tremendous partnership.
The above is worthy of praise, but Arteta deserves some criticism for making life difficult for Martinelli on the opposite side.
Receive a digest of our best Arsenal content each week direct to your mailbox
