Mikel Arteta has shown a propensity for taking tactical gambles and tweaking payer roles in his time as Arsenal manager.
The Spanish coach has experimented with shifting players around and introducing new systems of play at Arsenal on a number of occasions.
For instance, Mikel Arteta was keen to convert Kai Havertz into a midfielder, and briefly trialled Thomas Partey as a right-back. More successfully, Arteta encouraged Declan Rice to adopt a more advanced role, and reinvented Ben White as a right-back after the emergence of William Saliba.
Now, the manager may well be tempted to change Gabriel Martinelli’s role in the Arsenal team, in order to coax the best out of the Brazilian forward.
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli needs to rediscover his spark
The 22-year-old’s talent is not in doubt. He has shone for the Gunners in the Premier League before, and has all the attributes needed to be a consistent goal threat at the highest level. He is highly regarded within the dressing room at the Emirates Stadium too, Gabriel Jesus has previously described Martinelli as a “special” player.
The winger has searing pace, can finish, beat his opposite man in one-on-one duels, and works hard defensively as well. However, in the season that has just passed, Martinelli failed to produce the kind of output that would have been expected of him at the start of the campaign.
The forward ended the season with just 8 goals and 5 assists to his name, having made 44 appearances across all competitions. This is a significant drop off from the previous campaign in which he contributed 15 goals and 6 assists in 46 outings.
By the end of the season, Martinelli had fallen behind Leandro Trossard in the pecking order. Arteta now faces the challenge of sparking the 9-cap Brazil international back to his best.
How Mikel Arteta might reinvent Gabriel Martinelli at Arsenal
All too often, whilst operating on the left-flank, Martinelli has looked isolated.
The Gunners are not always as fluent and cohesive in this part of the pitch anyway, due to Arteta’s ongoing struggles with finding an ideal left-back. On top of that, Martinelli is instructed to stay wide and hug the touchline for the majority of the time. Whilst this stretches the pitch, creating space for others, it means that he is regularly unable to make a direct impact in the box himself.
Martinelli is at his best when he can pin opposition defenders in the penalty area with his speed and trickery, where they won’t want to tackle him, and where he can get a sight of goal.
Towards the end of the season, including the final game of the campaign, Martinelli deputised on the right wing, and produced some encouraging performances. Ultimately, though, his destiny may be to spearhead the attack more centrally.
Arsenal are known to be on the lookout for a new striker. However, if Arteta can’t find an ideal centre-forward in the transfer market this summer, then Martinelli may have been earmarked for that role in future. Martinelli may be short on confidence now, but he has all the makings of a clinical striker, but now just needs the opportunity to play there.
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