Arteta told to drop Gabriel Martinelli for huge Man City clash: ‘Not playing well’
Mikel Arteta has received advice to leave Gabriel Martinelli out of the starting lineup and instead play Leandro Trossard in the crucial match against Manchester City on Wednesday night for Arsenal.
Following the Gunners’ draw with Brentford, and City’s comfortable win over Aston Villa, the difference at the top of the Premier League has been reduced to three points.
However, Arsenal does still have one game yet to be played. As a result, a win for Guardiola’s side at the Emirates would put them at the top of the table for the first time since the second week of the season.
Leandro Trossard came on as a substitute against Brentford and scored his initial goal for Arsenal, and is still waiting for his first start in the League for the club.
Gabriel Martinelli, on the other hand, has started every League match this season, but is now going through a streak of seven matches without scoring for the Gunners, and his level of play has not been as impressive since the beginning of the year.
Based on Trossard’s strong performance as a substitute, former Premier League goalkeeper Shaka Hislop thinks that Arteta should make a bold decision regarding the left wing position in the match against Manchester City.
“When he has come on, Leandro Trossard has had an impact,” Hislop told ESPN.
“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.”
Arteta told to drop Gabriel Martinelli for huge Man City clash: ‘Not playing well’
