Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was all smiles at the final whistle after Alexandre Lacaztte and Gabriel Martinelli fired his side to a 3-0 win over Sheffield United last night.
However, the Gunners manager was reportedly unhappy with his Brazilian goalscorer just before he doubled Arsenal’s lead in the 71st minute.
Football London reveal today that Arteta was screaming at Martinelli to start from out wide before cutting in. The teenager was looking to take the opposition defender on the outside – something that didn’t sit right with the Arsenal boss.
Martinelli listened to his manager and worked his want into a more central area. He was rewarded instantly with a tap-in after Nicolas Pepe’s effort was palmed into the teenager’s path by Aaron Ramsdale.
Arteta deserves a ton of credit for getting his message across to the Brazilian from the touchline.
Martinelli needed that goal after weeks of frustration on the bench. Hopefully, he can get more minutes under his belt after last night’s impressive display.
Left-wing or centre-forward – where should Martinelli play?
It is no secret now that Arteta views Martinelli as a centre-forward in his long-term vision. We’ve all seen videos of the Brazilian training as a striker, but is he more suited on the left flank?
As a winger, Martinelli offers Arsenal something that none of our other left-wingers do – directness. The energy he brings when he is charging at the opposition full-back is a huge asset for us, while his pressing without the ball is relentless as well.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang faring a lot better up front than out wide, Martinelli should be Arteta’s first-choice on the left-wing.
However, the Arsenal boss works in mysterious ways and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the Brazilian on the bench against Slavia Prague on Thursday.
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