Mikel Arteta has been advised by Gary Neville to focus more on one of his important Arsenal players who is presently having difficulties.
Michael Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, has received a warning from Gary Neville, telling him to pay close attention to one of his important players, who he feels isn’t feeling confident right now. Notwithstanding Arsenal’s strong start to the new campaign—which included a 2-0 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday—Neville voiced concerns about Gabriel Martinelli’s recent play.
Leandro Trossard, a substitute, and Thomas Partey gave the Gunners the lead in the second half. They did so by taking advantage of a rare mistake made by Aston Villa’s goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez. Arsenal got some revenge with the win after losing to Unai Emery’s team earlier in the season.
Trossard’s goal with his first touch after coming off the bench to replace Martinelli highlighted the Brazilian’s difficulties even more. Though he has started the last two games, Martinelli has not had a major impact, raising concerns about his form.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Neville called attention to Martinelli’s seeming lack of confidence and asked Arteta to concentrate on helping the young winger regain his confidence. Martinelli is the one player, in Neville’s opinion, who “just needs that little bit of belief back in his game.”
He was standing directly in front of us during the first half, so it seemed pretty evident to me. What would I not want when a winger is playing against a right-back?
Neville called attention to specific instances in the game where Martinelli faltered rather than advancing at his customary quick speed and unpredictable nature. He briefly engaged in counterattacking against Matty Cash and Pau Torres early in the game. Although Martinelli is a direct, instinctive player who runs quickly, he hesitates when he has the ball and is unsure of what to do.
“I can’t decide if it’s a lack of belief or confidence or if he’s taking the safe or cautious option at times,” the former Manchester United defender continued. He’s not quite there yet, so he could use some care and attention right now.
