Following their confidence-sapping draw away to Fulham over the weekend, Arsenal had the tough task of hosting AS Monaco at the Emirates in the Champions League.
The French giants, who are third in Ligue 1, were level on points with Mikel Arteta’s side going into the encounter, but it would be inaccurate to describe the game as even.
It wasn’t a vintage performance from the Gunners, but they were clearly the better side, and there were a handful of impressive displays from across the starting lineup.
However, while it was a good night overall, there were a few worrying performances, especially from one player who must be dropped for the next game.
Arsenal’s best players
Before we get to the negative side of last night, it’s worth examining the positive and those who put in stellar displays for Arsenal, starting with the man of the moment, Bukayo Saka.
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The 23-year-old was somewhat quiet in the first 20 minutes or so but found himself in the perfect position to score the hosts’ opener and then did the same late into the second 45 before turning provider for Kai Havertz just a few minutes later.
He wasn’t at his scintillating best, but he was devastatingly effective all the same, which is the hallmark of a genuinely great player – some might even say world-class.
Another Hale Ender who stood out was 18-year-old Myles Lewis-Skelly, who was making his full Champions League debut, but you wouldn’t have guessed from how he played.
The stand-in left-back looked right at home on the European stage, locking off opponents and playing sublime passes into dangerous areas, just as he did for the first goal.
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Other notable performers include Jakub Kiwior, Declan Rice and Mikel Merino, who were unspectacular but effective and hardly put a foot wrong throughout.
However, while there were plenty of reasons to be happy with how the game went for Arteta and Co, there was one player who was seriously disappointing and should be nowhere near the starting lineup on Saturday.
The Arsenal star who must be dropped
So, the player in question is, unfortunately, the incredibly talented Gabriel Martinelli, who put in another performance to forget for Arsenal.
Now, the important thing to say is that we know the Brazilian international has it within him to be a world-beater.
His tally of 15 goals and six assists in 46 appearances in the 22/23 season is evidence of that, but since then, the former Ituano gem has looked a shadow of his former self.
For example, last season saw the 23-year-old rack up a rather meagre haul of just 13 goal involvements in 44 games, and this year has only been marginally better as he’s scored four goals and provided three assists in 21 appearances.
However, it’s not just his output or lack thereof, that is beginning to worry fans; it’s his lack of impact on games.
For example, the only impact he had during his cameo on Sunday was straying offside for what should have been the winner and then lobbing a ball at the back of Kenny Tete while the team were frantically looking for a winner.
Unfortunately, the Guarulhos-born ace was just as ineffective last night, as he consistently failed to beat his man, missed a golden opportunity, and, if we’re being honest, was incredibly lucky not to be sent off in the first half.
| Martinelli’s game in numbers | |
|---|---|
| Minutes | 64′ |
| Expected Goals | 0.10 |
| Expected Assists | 0.03 |
| Shots on Target | 0 |
| Shots off Target | 1 |
| Dribbles (Successful) | 3 (1) |
| Passing Accuracy | 16/20 (80%) |
| Long Balls (Accurate) | 2 (1) |
| Big Chances Missed | 1 |
| Ground Duels (Won) | 9 (3) |
| Aerial Duels (Won) | 1 (1) |
| Lost Possession | 7 |
| Fouls | 3 |
| Offside | 1 |
| All Stats via Sofascore | |
As content creator Jack Devonport said, it was a complete “horror show” from the winger, and the Standard’s Malik Ouzia was just as unimpressed, awarding him a 5/10 match rating at full-time.
While this all might sound rather harsh, it’s backed up by his statistics, perhaps the most alarming of which is that his 32 touches were fewer than David Raya’s 50, underlining his lack of impact.
In his 64 minutes of action, the 5 foot 10 attacker produced a combined expected goal plus assists figure of just 0.13, failed to take a single shot on target, failed in 66% of his dribbles, made just 16 passes, misplaced 50% of his long balls, missed one big chance, lost six of nine ground duels, lost the ball seven times, committed three fouls and was offside once.
Simply put, it was a really poor showing from Martinelli, and while he could still come good later in the season, he must be dropped for the game against Everton.
