Arsenal cruised to a 4-0 victory on Thursday night in the Europa League. Highlights include goals from both Joe Willock and Dani Ceballos but it was Gabriel Martinelli who stole the show. The Brazilian netted a brace against Standard Liege, his second in just over a week.
Gabriel Martinelli’s Performance Shows He Is More Than One for the Future
Another Bright Display
Last week against Nottingham Forest, Martinelli scored the first and fifth goals. He also took six shots in the match, the most of any player on either side.
Then, against Liege on Thursday, he only went and outperformed that display. Gabriel Martinelli not only scored another brace and had the most shots, he also bagged an assist and tallied five key passes, the most on the night.
These two matches may not have been against world-class opposition, but they do show that the 18-year-old has got something to offer the first team. He has a cool head, good technique and a fairly impressive skill set for a young player.
Martinelli himself may have known all along that he has got the ability to perform the way he has, but that was far from the case for fans and pundits alike until very recently.
At the start of the season, the assumption was that only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette would get minutes at striker. Plus, there was the fact that Gabriel Martinelli mostly played as a winger for Ituano.
However, the most recent displays have suggested that the young man is a viable option at striker. Of course, he would never get minutes ahead of Aubameyang and Lacazette, but they will need to be rotated throughout the season.
Options
Martinelli can be used from the bench when the club is trailing or if Unai Emery needs to replace an attacking player for any reason. Having such an option would have been very helpful for Arsenal against Aston Villa, for example.
While he has yet to start or score in the Premier League, four goals and an assist in two matches outside the competition suggests the ability could be there, even if we only have a small sample size.
The striker, as previously mentioned, could also remain a good rotation option, even after Lacazette eventually returns from injury. He and Aubameyang love playing together and it is never a bad idea to put a team’s two best players on the pitch at once.
The only other senior player with experience at striker is Nicolas Pepe, who would ideally also be on the pitch for the most important moments. This leaves a vacancy at the striking position when they inevitably need a rest.
Beneficial for Everyone
Playing Gabriel Martinelli in the Europa League as well as the Cups will help the team’s overall fitness in the short term. There may be one further benefit.
The grueling Europa League campaign ravaged the squad’s fitness late in the season last year. Danny Welbeck‘s absence really didn’t help affairs and Emery was hesitant to play Eddie Nketiah.
Should Gabriel Martinelli continue his form, the manager will have the ability to rely on him later in the campaign. Nketiah really only played the Cups at the earliest stages, leading to a lack of first team minutes, which must have been a contributing factor in Emery’s decision not to play him more often.
So, playing Martinelli more often now could benefit the entire squad in the long term as well the short, in addition to the obvious benefits for the player.
Looking Ahead
Arsenal find themselves in firm control of group F after just two matches. Both Liege and Eintracht Frankfurt now have three points to the Gunners’ six and Vitoria Guimaraes sit at the foot of the group with no points.
Additionally, Arsenal have yet to concede in the competition, scoring seven goals in the process. Vitoria Guimaraes will visit the Emirates on 24 October in the next round of fixtures.
The Gunners will play host to Bournemouth in their next match on Sunday before the international break.
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