Mikel Arteta can completely transform Gabriel Martinelli’s career if he takes note of one tweak Arsene Wenger made at Arsenal.
Martinelli is the talk of the town after a marvellous week of action in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Before the games against Athletic Club and Manchester City, Martinelli’s future at Arsenal was questioned, but he’s turning that narrative on its head.
One talking point at Arsenal right now is whether Arteta is playing Martinelli in the wrong position, with fans wondering if the Brazilian is better suited to a central role.
Mikel Arteta should change Gabriel Martinelli’s position just like Arsene Wenger did for Thierry Henry
After seeing Ousmane Dembele win the Ballon d’Or, Arsenal fans backed Martinelli to reach a new level if he changes his position.
Dembele has struggled immensely over the years, but moving to the centre-forward role at Paris Saint-Germain on Luis Enrique’s watch proved to be pivotal.
It’s not the first time that a winger’s best position has been misunderstood, with Arsenal knowing more than anyone what can happen when changes are made.
Arsene Wenger signed Thierry Henry as a winger, purchasing an underperforming forward from Juventus and transforming him into Arsenal’s record goalscorer.
In a 2009 interview with Sky Sports, Henry reminisced on the moment he found out that Wenger was going to change his position from a left winger to a striker.
“He [Wenger] said to me, ‘I don’t want you playing on the left, you’re wasting your time, and you have to play through the middle’.”
Henry went on to describe Wenger as being the type of manager who makes players better.
“He’s the type of guy that makes you realise that you can do anything you want. Whenever a player comes to play for Arsenal, they suddenly become better. I don’t know why or how?”
The Frenchman arrived at Arsenal with just four goals to his name the season prior, going on to score 26 goals in his first term under Wenger.
Changing Henry’s position gave Wenger a goal machine, and now, Arteta must take note.
What Arteta said about Martinelli’s positioning after Manchester City goal
Martinelli has been a left winger for the entirety of his Arsenal career, but his position isn’t by any means fixed.
As seen over last week’s action, the goals Martinelli scored were both tremendous and came from the central zones of the pitch.
After the draw against Man City, Arteta commented on Martinelli’s efficiency through the middle in his post-match press conference.
“A lot of the runs that he makes sometimes, as well, are from a central position in relation to what phase of play we are playing and what his starting position is, and actually, his impact has been really, really good for the team.”
It’s now up to the boss to take a daring next step and truly test Martinelli as a striker, because, after seeing what the change did for Henry and Wenger, there’s no harm in trying.
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