Arteta explains decision to sub off Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s defeat to Aston Villa
Mikel Arteta has justified his choice to substitute Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s loss to Aston Villa, asserting that the team was making impulsive decisions with the speedy Brazilian on the field.
Arsenal suffered only their second Premier League defeat of the season at Villa Park on Saturday evening, as John McGinn’s early goal proved decisive.
Despite dominating large portions of the match, especially around halftime, Arsenal couldn’t find the equalizer, though it seemed likely as Villa showed signs of fatigue in the early stages of the second half.
Gabriel Martinelli posed a significant threat to Villa’s high defensive line, exploiting their weariness and making several dangerous runs down the left flank.
In response to Martinelli’s increasing impact, Unai Emery made a tactical substitution, bringing on the fresher Matty Cash for Ezri Konsa to counter the 22-year-old’s threat.
However, shortly after that substitution, Gabriel Martinelli was replaced by Leandro Trossard, and Arsenal’s offensive prowess and control over the game diminished somewhat. Villa seemed to weather the storm successfully.
Despite this, Arteta dismissed the notion that his decision to substitute Martinelli made Arsenal less effective.
He believed that the team made the mistake of relying too heavily and prematurely on Martinelli, resulting in Villa consistently catching him offside or intercepting overhit passes.
When questioned about the substitution and its impact on Arsenal’s attacking threat, Arteta responded, “‘No, I think it’s because we started to attack in a way that wasn’t smart from our part.
“We started to make rash decisions, we started to play balls too early from areas that you’re not going to hurt them and then you get exposed afterwards.
“I think it was enough to get much more than what we had.”
On whether his side seemed to tire as the match reached the latter stages, he replied: “Well a team that is fatigued doesn’t play against Aston Villa the way we’ve played, with the energy, the commitment and the quality that we have done. I don’t think that was the case.”
Arteta had to observe the match from the stands at Villa Park as he incurred a touchline suspension, receiving his third booking of the season for exuberant celebrations following Arsenal’s late victory against Luton Town in midweek.
Known for his animated and engaged presence on the sideline, Arteta acknowledged the challenge of taking a step back, stating, “It was what it was. I tried to adapt.”
“I think the boys did really well to communicate what we wanted and the team had a really good performance.”
Arteta explains decision to sub off Gabriel Martinelli in Arsenal’s defeat to Aston Villa