Were Arsenal fans surprised that Martinelli covered for the injured Saka brilliantly against Palace | OneFootball

Was Gabriel Martinelli’s performance against Palace his best in a while?

The Brazilian winger has not been having the best time in red and white lately. On the pitch, he hasn’t been as influential as we know he can be from his 2022-23 performances. He’s had to warm the bench at times, and his luck is that Leandro Trossard, his alternative, has also been struggling.

Gooners have been critical of Martinelli, with many feeling an upgrade for his services is necessary as they believe he will never get better.

Well, on Saturday night, Martinelli surely seemed to have stepped up.

Stats suggest he loves playing against Crystal Palace. Before Saturday, he had scored 4 goals in 4 games against them, making them the Premier League team he has scored the most goals against (5).

Starting as a left winger, he had to switch to the right wing when Bukayo Saka was subbed off (in the 22nd minute) due to what appeared to be a hamstring injury. On the right, he didn’t look out of place at all. He was so good that Saka wasn’t really missed, and he gave Palace LB Mitchell plenty of problems.

The Brazilian winger’s impressive role on the right wing was a delight! His efficiency in attack and resilience in defense were commendable, and his goal crowned what was a great game for him on Saturday night.

(Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

After seeing Martinelli shine on the right wing, I wonder why Arteta doesn’t have Saka and Martinelli switch wings during some games to shake things up. That could be a strategy to prevent the team from being too one-sided and throw opponents off their game. How would they handle Saka on the left wing when they have planned to stop him on the right?

Saka’s injury worries me, but if we can play Martinelli next to Odegaard, we would still be good offensively, don’t you think?

Sam P

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