Former Newcastle United and West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop has told Mikel Arteta to consider dropping Gabriel Martinelli for Wednesday’s clash with Manchester City.
Arsenal will entertain City in the Premier League this season when they meet at the Emirates.
Arsenal have picked up one point from their last two games, meaning a win for the Premier League champions will see them go top, albeit having played a game more.
Martinelli has been impressive for the Gunners this season but fans haven’t seen the best of him for several weeks.
Meanwhile, January signing Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score his first goal for the Gunners in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Brentford.
Hislop believes Arteta may have to give the Belgian a chance from the start, which would mean leaving Martinelli on the bench. He told ESPN : “I don’t think Gabriel Martinelli has been great lately. When he has come on, Leandro Trossard has had an impact. So, if you’re Arteta, I think the time is right to think, ‘Well, do I now play Trossard from the very start?’.
“Now, Martinelli is quick, and defences coming up against that kind of pace, you have to adjust just for that pure speed that Martinelli brings, but he hasn’t had much of an impact. He’s not been playing well and is struggling a bit. So, the easy change, I think, given the form of Trossard, given the fact that he’s finally got on the scoresheet for Arsenal, is that you have to play him from the very start.”
Martinelli has long been a favourite of Arteta’s, with the Brazilian recently signing a new long-term deal.
He’s scored seven times in the league this season, but the last of his strikes came in December against Brighton.
1 Comment
A classic fight, and I’m looking forward to it, I believe the MC will win