Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has struggled for form in recent weeks, and was far from his usual best against Liverpool on Saturday.
The Brazilian struggled to impose himself on the game, and also missed a good chance to double Arsenal’s lead before he was substituted for Leandro Trossard in the second half.
In games against Liverpool and Aston Villa, Martinelli often found himself in space in attacking zones, but could not execute his final pass or shot well, and this ultimately cost Arsenal going forward as they scored just once throughout both games.
Mikel Arteta remains unconcerned over his form, but has highlighted what Martinelli can do to improve overall and in front of goal, as the 22-year-old has scored just twice in the Premier League all season.
Mikel Arteta speaks about Martinelli form
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Thursday’s clash with West Ham United, Arteta highlighted Martinelli’s decision-making in the final third as something he can work on, but also pointed out that the winger is top-class when it comes to finding space near the opposition box.
“Working hard and practicing the situation that you face in the game as much as possible, then I encourage him to do it time and time again and he is one of the best in the world at that,” he stated of Martinelli.
“Sometimes decision making, sometimes hitting the post with a chance, these are details and he is really trying. He’s a massive threat for us with everything that he generates, not only with the ball but without the ball as well. The pressure that he puts on the backline, he’s a key player for us.
Arteta was then asked whether Martinelli was suffering from a confidence issue, but he was not worried.
“Confidence is not a problem for Gabby!” he replied.
“Sometimes the efficiency or putting the brake down and lifting your head up and making that decision for everybody is the most difficult thing to do, finding that composure and timing inside the box.”
Why has Martinelli struggled for Arsenal recently?
Martinelli perhaps needs a short spell out of the starting XI to recover his best form. He suffered a dip in output last winter, but a brief period of rest on the bench saw him come back and hit his top performance levels.
The departure of Granit Xhaka has affected the left-hand side of the attack, and Martinelli now finds himself closer to the touchline, with more defenders to beat, rather than in more central areas to shoot.
His shots per 90 minutes have dropped from 2.55 to 2.19 since last season, whilst his shots on target per 90 minutes have dropped from 0.97 to 0.78. Martinelli is shooting less, and is finding himself in less favourable positions to shoot from.
Part of this stems from his recent poor decision-making in the final third, which may come from a dip in confidence or fatigue, but Arteta may now consider bringing in Trossard or Reiss Nelson for a period to allow Martinelli more rest and training time to address his issues.
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