Arteta must immediately bench Arsenal star who dropped a 4/10 v Bayern

Arteta must immediately bench Arsenal star who dropped a 4/10 v Bayern

It has been a tough week for Arsenal Football Club in their hunt for major silverware under Mikel Arteta, and they were dealt two major blows to Premier League and in particular, Champions League hopes.

The Gunners lost 2-0 at home to Aston Villa last Sunday, with a defeat leaving them reeling in second place, two points behind Manchester City. However, with six games still to go, they are not out of the title race by any stretch of the imagination.

On Wednesday, however, Arsenal were eliminated from the Champions League by German side Bayern Munich. Thomas Tuchel’s men overcame Arsenal 1-0 at the Allianz Arena, winning 3-2 on aggregate and sending Arteta’s side home to set up a heavyweight semi-final clash against Real Madrid. It was a devastating result for Arsenal, who will now have full focus on trying to catch Pep Guardiola’s City side in the Premier League.

Arteta will have to ensure his side can climb this stumbling block and rectify the result against Wolves on Saturday. It could well be the case that the Spaniard tinkers with his team ahead of their trip to Molineux, following some disappointing performances in Germany, particularly from one of his star wingers.

Gabriel Martinelli’s stats vs Bayern Munich

It was certainly a disappointing performance from Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli on Wednesday. He had a big chance in the first half to make it 1-0 to Arsenal, which could have swung the tie, but his effort was saved by Manuel Neuer.

However, crucially, Martinelli let Bayern goalscorer Joshua Kimmich peel away from him and score an unchallenged header which won Tuchel’s men the game. It was a frustrating error from the wide man and one that ultimately cost Arsenal their place in Europe.

Off the ball, Martinelli struggled, winning just three out of his ten ground duels, according to Sofaccore. Frustratingly, he didn’t touch the ball near enough to have a major impact on the game, which was not his fault, but rather a lack of supply from teammates.

Indeed, only Kai Havertz (26 touches) of any starter on the away side had fewer touches than Martinelli’s 32. However, he did look after the ball well, completing 100% of his 13 passes.

Martinelli’s error was enough to warrant a 4/10 past match rating, from Goal.com’s Charles Watts. Whilst he did acknowledge Martinelli “worked so hard all night”, the 22-year-old’s mistake for the goal earned him a disappointing overall rating.

The best replacements for Martinelli

In truth, it has been a frustrating season for Brazil international Martinelli, who has only scored eight goals and registered five assists in 38 games in all competitions so far this season. If Arteta does decide to rotate his side and give another player a chance out wide on Saturday, he isn’t short of options in the squad.

The most likely option Arteta could turn to is Leandro Trossard, who has been impressive so far in 2023/24. The Belgian has scored 13 goals and has two assists this season, but has only played 1,830 minutes, the equivalent of 20 full 90s.

In dropping Martinelli, Arteta could perhaps be worried about losing a threat in one-vs-one scenarios. However, Trossard’s take-on numbers stack up well against Martinelli. The 29-year-old has a take-on success rate of 53.8% per 90 minutes in the Premier League, placing him in the top 14% of positionally similar players, as per Fbref. In comparison, the club’s no.11 has a take-on success rate of just 34.3% per 90 minutes, placing him in the 17th percentile, according to Fbref, a stark difference.

Trossard may also offer a better option off the ball, too. In the league this season, he ranks in the top 20% for ball recoveries per 90 minutes, with 5.08. In contrast, Martinelli places in the 38th percentile, making 4.08 ball recoveries per 90 minutes. Against an energetic Wolves side, the Belgian could well prove to be the better option for Arteta out of possession.

Arteta’s other options include Reiss Nelson, whose fleeting appearances this season have yielded just one goal and two assists, none coming in the Premier League. The Gunners boss could also start Emile Smith Rowe, who has registered two Premier League assists this term, including one in a superb performance against Luton recently.

Certainly, Arteta has options should he wish to change things up on the left-hand side. Trossard seems the most apt replacement for Martinelli, and could well get a start at Molineux on Saturday night after a good season so far.

Related

Arsenal could’ve beat Bayern by subbing on star who’s made for UCL nights

Mikel Arteta’s substitutions were questionable against Bayern Munich.