Arsenal’s coaching staff could completely revive one player’s form if one part of his game is altered.
There are few complaints about Mikel Arteta’s coaching team, who have supported the Arsenal manager to take his squad to become Premier League title challengers.
Most prominently, Nicolas Jover has transformed Arsenal with his set-piece tactics, work on the training ground that has, many times, made the Gunners unstoppable.
The work of Arteta’s team is constant as the Arsenal squad looks to continually evolve to remain at the very top, but one player is clearly getting left behind.
Arsenal’s coaching staff need to help Gabriel Martinelli
The arrivals of Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke improved Arsenal’s options in the wide areas, but what does it mean for Gabriel Martinelli?
Martinelli spoke about competition at Arsenal during the international break, which followed the revelation that the Gunners looked to cash in on the winger early in the summer.
It’s a really difficult time for Martinelli, who has been criticised for how stagnant his progression has been since his impressive 2022/23 Premier League campaign.
That season, the Brazilian scored 15 league goals, a tally that, right now, looks completely unreachable for the 24-year-old.
Speaking on The Athletic’s Handbrake Off podcast, pundit and former Arsenal player Adrian Clarke urged the Gunners’ coaching staff to pay more attention to Martinelli.
“At 24, he’s got to find another way, that’s the whole thing, isn’t it?” Clarke said.
“As a footballer, you have to continually evolve and work on things that you’re not particularly good at.
“I like to think he is, so I do think it’s in part down to the coaches to work with him and find new ways where he can beat defenders and come up with different angles.”
Perhaps the most alarming part of Clarke’s assessment of Martinelli’s situation right now was where the Brazil international ranks in the pecking order.
“We all know there’s a player there, but at the moment, he’s probably third or fourth choice as a left-winger unless he raises his level.”
Eze and Madueke are proven to be difference makers in the Premier League, something that, quite brutally, Martinelli hasn’t been for two years.
Where Martinelli has regressed
Signed for just £6m from Ituano in 2019, Martinelli has already exceeded expectations at Arsenal, but there’s so much more the Brazilian can offer right now.
In 2022/23, it would’ve been wild to imagine that there would even be a conversation about whether Martinelli was Arteta’s best option on the left side.
Things change quickly in football, which for some is a blessing and for others, is damning.
| Statistic | 2022/23 | 2024/25 |
| Shot-creating actions | 4.10 | 2.91 |
| Goal-creating actions | 0.55 | 0.28 |
| Successful take-on percentage | 45.1% | 30.3% |
Fortunately, it’s clear for all to see where Martinelli has fallen off, being less impactful in decisive moments: shot creation, goal creation and successful take-on percentage.
The statistics show just how far the 24-year-old has fallen, but the eye test reveals a lot more, with the sinister narrative that the winger has fallen victim to systematic pressures.
Martinelli is no longer a thrilling player to watch, but an option who conforms to demands at the expense of his freedom.
It’s a dire shame, and one that could cost Arsenal in the long run if problems aren’t solved on the training ground.
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