Arsenal legend Ian Wright analysed the presence of Bukayo Saka in Mikel Arteta’s squad, focusing on one of his teammates.
It’s been a torrid time for Arsenal since losing Saka to injury, as the winger last featured in December against Crystal Palace.
Saka left Selhurst Park on crutches after the contest, as Arsenal’s greatest fears were realised.
The winger will be out of action for months with a hamstring tear, an injury where a return cannot be rushed, giving Arteta a challenge of adaptability to overcome.
Ian Wright makes Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli comparison
Saka tore his hamstring and underwent surgery to repair his injury, as Arsenal were left to fend for themselves going forward.
Momentarily, it looked as though Arsenal had found a perfect replacement for Saka in Ethan Nwaneri however, the teenager then suffered an injury of his own.
It’s back to square one for Arteta, who has utilised Gabriel Martinelli on the right side, which didn’t work as planned, seeing the Arsenal manager return the Brazilian to the left.
Saka’s injury has only highlighted how reliant the Gunners are on the 23-year-old, with pressure mounting on Martinelli to produce something close to the Englishman’s level.
So far, such has not been seen, as Martinelli has been criticised for his lack of output in the final third, something that Arsenal legend Ian Wright spoke about.
Speaking on ITV’s coverage of Arsenal’s EFL Cup defeat to Newcastle, Wright admitted that he feels for Martinelli due to just how good Saka consistently is.
“For me, the way that Saka has produced what he’s produced since the age of 17 is very tough on someone like Martinelli,” Wright declared.
“When you look at Saka’s side with Odegaard predominantly on that side, the amount of work that’s pushed down this right-hand side, you do feel that Martinelli misses out a bit.”
Martinelli has to take his chances
Though Wright did offer some sympathy to the Brazilian, Martinelli didn’t escape some mild criticism from the club legend, who urged the 24-year-old to work on his final ball.
“He’s got to work on some of that final ball but other than that, I think he still can give us a lot more and he’s trying,” Wright said.
Everyone knows just how good Martinelli is when he’s at the top of his game however, we haven’t seen anything close to his best for some time.
Such was evident once more against Newcastle, as the winger had the chance to score and fluffed his lines to the frustration of many.
It’s time for Martinelli to step up and aim to replicate what Saka can offer in terms of goal contribution, as the winger is truly capable of performing like his teammate.
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