MAKE OR BREAK TIME for these Arsenal players!

How do you Arsenal fans feel about Gabriel Jesus, Gabriel Martinelli, Thomas Partey and Fabio Vieira? Again, these are players that are sparking a lot of debate in and amongst the Arsenal fanbase off the back of last season. Form is temporary, class is permanent, so we should stand by players but also players cannot rest on past glories or great moments they previously had at our club or elsewhere. It's about what you're doing now and how you tie into the future, people. With the names I just said, I do feel a lot of Arsenal fans have given up on a few of our players. Football fans have short memories, but I cannot lie, a lot of the claims are valid. So I thought with it being the off-season and as we look towards the new season, let's have a look at some of those players who quote-unquote struggled last season or potentially sparked debate and let me know your thoughts throughout. Let's start with Gabriel Jesus. In 2023-24, he only missed six Premier League games through although it felt like a lot more and he feels like he's a forgotten figure. He did make 24 league appearances, starting 17 times, but in only a handful of those did we see the best version of Gabriel Jesus or anything like such people. He did have a great cameo against Bayern Munich. I do think his best form on reflection last season was probably in the Champions League. He did have a great goal against Manchester United at the start of last season more or less at the Emirates where, you know, rumours say Delo is still sliding on the floor if I'm honest with you. I do think, you know, people will forget, but the two games against Manchester City, he worked his socks off. Yes, you should work your socks off and it wasn't sexy and glamorous and there's no highlights, but it shows that he does have some qualities. And again, I personally will never give up on Gabriel Jesus. I love the guy. I think, you know, in many ways he could still offer something to this football club people, but he has become a forgotten man. And I think we all miss the Gabriel Jesus of the initial six months when he signed for us. He was a revelation. As Mikel Arteta said, he changed our life. And unfortunately, I wouldn't quite say the beginning of the end, but what kind of sparked the struggles beyond the obvious had to have been in the World Cup when he did pick up that injury. Personally, I understand if we are to improve or keep the improvements going, if you're not pulling your weight and you become stagnant or to a degree damaged goods, then the writing's kind of on the wall. However, have we really improved that much? And are we really that amazing that there's nothing that Gabriel Jesus can bring to the table as a squad player? Why don't we utilise him in the same way he was utilised at Manchester City, where he was just a versatile option and he made the difference, but he wasn't necessarily a difference maker? I do think at Arsenal, we do try to do the romantic thing in which we try to present Gabriel Jesus with a platform as a striker and in line with what Mikel Arteta demands from a striker in the modern day, he can do that. But unfortunately, he's never been a consistent goalscorer. And at 25, 26, 27 years of age, we hope that he can find that. But if you haven't done that in your career already, it's never going to happen, people. Now, there was rumours we tried to bring in Cesco. That never happened, people. So if we don't bring in a striker, could you argue that between Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz, not to mention if Eddie Nketiah is sold, they still have massive roles to play within this squad. If we do get the best version of Gabriel Jesus or replicate what he brought to the table, then there's a role in the squad for him. For me, it would be an error to write him off. But of course, if this continues, if we're still saying the same talking points, if we're presented with an offer that we can't refuse, then naturally you have to sell people. I have to say, once again, it feels like we're too romantic. It felt like he just needed a platform to consistently play up front. And he does obviously typify what Arteta wants once again. But unfortunately, he doesn't do the business in that regards. And he didn't have the best of goal returns, to put it nicely, last season. He's never been prolific forward. So why not use him once again in the same way that Manchester City did? He's a fighter. He does have good hold-up play. However, in his absence, Kai Havertz's form has shown that we've since January and kind of changed direction in that regards. And I do think when you look at some of the data people, while Kai Havertz has received significant praise for bringing structure to our attack, he and Gabriel Jesus' all-round data profiles are relatively similar, which shows that they can be utilised. But we probably do need a forward, maybe not this season, but within the near future, people. They both averaged 0.4 expected goals per night in the Premier League. They also both averaged six successful duels in each game. When you do look at some things, there's a stark contrast in the conversion rate. Kai Havertz's shot conversion, including blocks, is at 21%. Gabriel Jesus' is just 7%. So if Kai Havertz is more prolific in front of goal, then you might be in trouble with the greatest of respect. Now, that could be explained by Gabriel Jesus taking more speculative shots. But then you look at Kai Havertz has taken 48% of his big chances. Gabriel Jesus' only 30%. This data reflects Gabriel Jesus' getting fewer chances than he did last season, but he's finishing more erratically. And he did kind of say he has been improving his finishing, but it's never going to be the guy we want. His issues, as I said, it stemmed back to the winter of 2022 during the World Cup, in which the man himself said, in one of my best moments, one of my best moments in my career, I went to the World Cup and ended up getting injured. And today I still have these little problems with my knee, people, which is upsetting for a guy that when arriving in 2022, Mikel Arteta said he changed our world, people. Unfortunately, our world has somewhat changed again. And while Gabriel Jesus is on the contract until 2027, his future is not guaranteed. If an offer were to arrive for the Brazilian international in this forthcoming transfer window, Arsenal have to be prepared to listen. And again, a contingency plan, what we do beyond that, I'm not too sure. In my opinion, he probably needs surgery. I'm no doctor, I'm no physio, but it seems like he's had these short-term fixes and they're still playing up really and truly. So why not have some long-term surgery to kind of get over this injury and we go again? I don't think there is anybody at Arsenal who doubts Gabriel Jesus. Indeed, nobody at Arsenal has to doubt his quality or his character. The issue is obviously his finishing, but mainly his fitness and his reliability in that regard. And we've got a few players who are good footballers, but if you're not available, then it doesn't really matter. When you look at his versatility and his qualities, I do still think Mikel Arteta is keen on such people. For what it's worth, allegedly the Brazilian wants to stay in London and fight for his place. Perhaps the best thing for all of the parties involved would be to focus on enabling Gabriel Jesus to get back to full fitness people after not being selected for the Copa America. And then we go again. Now from one Brazilian to another, we've spoken about Gabriel Jesus. Now we have to speak about Martinelli. I love him. I love his passion. I love his desire. I think he's a big game player. But after such a good 2022-23 season, 2023-24 was a kick in the teeth for both him and his personal development and probably Arsenal fans. Sure, there were some good periods and great games. Obviously, I think he got two assists or so, either two goals or two assists against Crystal Palace. He did score against Liverpool and Manchester City, but he's still volatile in terms of the performance, people. I do think on the whole of last season, he's probably lucky to start as many games as he did because, you know, Trossart's form towards the end of the season was great in direct contrast to him. And there were times going back to the December period where, you know, when the team's performing, you can't complain if no one's getting a look-in. But when they're not, which was around the December period, the same players were out there. And I think Trossart probably could have got a look-in a long time before he actually did. And I also feel in part, could you, you know, when a manager is playing the same teams, is it a vote of confidence? Arteta potentially around them was trying to play them into form, or is that showing us what the hierarchy is? You know, I didn't quite agree with it, but not too long ago, you know, Martinelli's status in the squad was allegedly somewhat on par with Bakayo Saka. Now their paths have diverged a lot since then. You know, Saka has maintained his consistency and gone to higher levels. Martinelli still has that volatility and fluctuation in his performances that's probably stopping him from reaching that sort of stature, people. Unfortunately, the season that's just gone from Martinelli's perspective was incredibly underwhelming, with just six goals and four assists, which is a long way short of the previous campaign. You know, football is about the squad. But when you look at when we have struggled in December, once again, Martinelli kept playing versus Trossart or anybody else, people. So it begs the question, what made Arteta finally decide that Trossart deserves more minutes and to be more than a super sub? Was it, you know, he lost some sort of confidence in Martinelli and he felt the best option for the collective was Trossart, or was it something else, people? And again, when the team's doing the business, you can't complain. And at the end of the day, the collective comes first. We're fighting for a league title. Gabriel Martinelli was a substitute for nine of our final 10 games last season. I'll never turn my back on Martinelli, people. I still think he's a big game player. He has provided such people, like I said, with City and Liverpool. But the level of consistency and reliability must improve if he really wants to kick on. Plus, I cannot lie, people, man, six goals and four assists, Martinelli, you're better than that. Plus, it's, you know, in life, you have to look at what you can control. But I also feel the instability at left back. You know, we've had Zinchenko, Kyrgios, Timbers' injury, Tommy Assu's inconsistencies in relation to fitness. There's been a massive void with Granit Xhaka's departure of our failure to bring in a central midfielder. And we've seen Fabio Vieira and Smith-Rowe get opportunities, I say that lightly there, as well as Jorginho and Partey playing there. So I do think that has played some sort of part in Martinelli's form, people. Moving on to Thomas Partey, really and truly, what can I say to you lot that you don't already know? What can I say that hasn't always been said already? He forms a dynamic duo with Declan Rice. He's a top player. He makes our team better. But unfortunately, we rarely ever see this. Think about all the talking points for the vast majority of the season. Thomas Partey wasn't a thing. When we saw the community shield, we would have loved to have kept that partnership of Declan Rice and Partey. And we did see it towards the end of last season. But for the, you know, the real meat of the season, Partey was not about. You can't rely on, you know, quality alone. His durability is in question. The man is never fit on a consistent basis. And at 31 years of age, with a year left on his deal, I don't know if people are willing to queue up to buy him. And we do need to bring in a central midfielder. While I would like to keep Partey, I could understand if the club were tempted to bring him in because we need a long-term central midfielder, in my opinion, regardless. You know, when you look at some of the numbers, as quality as Partey is, and when it came to crunch time, he did play the vast majority of the games towards the back end of the season, helping us achieve great wins, you know, against Chelsea, Spurs, Manchester United. And again, he started the last five games, people. But at the end of the day, people, you know, we've had to adapt because we've had no choice. Granit Xhaka's departure and Partey's inconsistencies have meant we've had a new-look midfield to some degree. And I did think the season before, the one that's just gone, you know, it was an anomaly in that Partey was relatively fit versus all the other years he's been here. I thought he turned the corner. And also, you know, his quality, he's played 95 times in the Premier League for Arsenal, but that's over four, five, maybe even six years now. So that shows you the injury issues, people. He completed 90 minutes in the Premier League just once, you know, last season, if they are correct, people, which again, that could be wrong. I need to check that. But either way, we all know, you know, you're never quite confident. And there was a period he was on the bench a lot, didn't get an opportunity, probably because Arteta wasn't happy with his fitness or didn't deem it was possible to integrate him. And then, you know, you can't rely on the guy. Sadly, he's an injury room or treatment table season ticket holder at the Emirates, people. So the quality is there, but it's just, you can never rely on Thomas Partey. And with just one year left on his contract, people, it could represent Arsenal's last opportunity to recoup some sort of money for someone signed for 50 odd million. And it's a difficult one where you look at Partey because I do feel he's been a good signing, but has he really, you know, and it mainly comes down to fitness. Moving on, people, I have to get into It's looking like he needs to depart. It's looking like this marriage needs to divorce. Sometimes in life to achieve anything, you have to go through hell in order to find heaven. And for the last two or so years, people, he has gone through such people and it's been unfortunate. In fact, when he started against Luton in September, that was actually, you know, 500 days prior to his last start. It took him 500 days, people, which is crazy. And when he lined up in our 2-0 defeat to Newcastle in May of 2022, he had made 82 appearances for the club in 61 starts. And you look at it this season, it's only just once essentially in the league, people, which is crazy. And he's finally got to 100 caps, which a bit like Partey should, if not for injuries, should have been there a lot sooner. It's sad, man. And, you know, had he been fit and firing and this wasn't a thing, he could have been one of the wild card picks for the Euros, if I'm completely honest with you. You know, when you look at the last two years, Smith-Rowe hasn't had a kind time with injuries, people. He featured only for 195 minutes across 2022-23, people. And his only playing time this campaign in the opening six games came in the last couple of minutes of the 2-2 draw against Spurs. Obviously he's had groin injuries. He's been, he's having to deal with groin problems as the man has said himself since his teenage days. And the, you know, it seems like the surgery has done him a world of good. Unfortunately, he still has picked up injuries this season, but I feel ever so slightly, people, this season has been a bit different where Smith-Rowe's injury is concerned because on one hand, the other players have been doing their job and we've been fighting for the league. But I do think there's been chances to use him, people. For all his injuries, it does feel like towards the back end of last season, he was fit for the majority of the season, people. And there were times where he could have got more minutes. When you look at it, he's played 489 minutes, 355 in the Premier League. That equates to two assists and 13 Premier League appearances. He got 45 minutes in the Champions League and he's loved by the fans. You saw the ovation he got against PSV, people. And he struggled for consistent minutes. In the league, the most he got was 71 minutes against Forest, 85 against Luton and 73 against Sheffield United, where in particular the game I said last day, it felt like it was finally putting the injuries behind him. But then he picked up a knee injury and then missed about six games, people. So it's a shame, if I'm completely honest, where Smith-Rowe is concerned, man. Because he was such a catalyst in changing our fortunes in the 2020-21 season. And then he backed that up by ending the 2021-22 campaign as our second top goalscorer and then picking up three England caps along the way. Evidently, this season has been different. And I feel, quote-unquote, if he accepts a squad role, I think there's a role for him here. But beyond that, unless there's a miracle, it feels like he won't be afforded the same chances that Trossach, Kai Havertz and Kyrgios have had in being able to take advantage of teammates' loss-in-form injuries or shifting dynamics. It'd be a shame if Smith-Rowe's last appearance for this football club was the 21 minutes he received against Everton. And I do feel we need to address midfield, so it could be peak. Now, keeping up the theme with No. 8s and No. 10s, you've got Fabio Vieira, who, like Smith-Rowe, has been a forgotten man. I like Fabio Vieira. I think he's got a lovely way of passing. I think he's got a great final ball. I think he is, in theory, versatile. And he's got everything I think our Teta and Arsenal fans would want to see. But this, to a degree, is a bit theoretical. In practicality, we have not really seen that, if I'm honest with you. If I'm completely honest, we've seen it in cameos. He came off the bench and set up Gabriel Jesus. He looked good in the cameos at the Emirates against Fulham. But it feels like more of the same people. It's a bit of a difficult one because when he signed for us, he can play as No. 8. You had Granit Xhaka there. You can play as a No. 10. You've got the captain, Martin Odegaard, there. You're not really suited for out wide, but our Teta insisted on making you a wide playmaker. And I don't think he's like the Phil Foldens and the Smith Rows, in that they can operate effectively within the pockets. Where the eight rows are concerned now, obviously, Jorginho and Partey are preferred in midfield to partner Declan Rice, if we just focus on midfield and not get into names. I like Fabio Vieira, but we need to see something. Like all of these players, they can all be great squad players. And I think there's a term in Portugal where they refer to someone who plays like Emil Smith Rowe as a regular, which is a player that makes... Apologies, not Smith Rowe, Fabio Vieira as a regular, which is a player that makes the difference by his own, utilising his personality and confidence. Have we seen this? Can he assert himself a lot more in games? Can we see his personality? I think these are all question marks Fabio Vieira needs to answer people. In my opinion, I've not really got any evidence on this, but I don't think our Teta 100% trusts him tactically. As we know, Mikel Arteta micromanages everything. And I think at times, whether you go to the Emirates or watch the games, you can see Mikel Arteta consistently getting that Fabio Vieira in that regard. Now, I would give Fabio Vieira another season, but if I am making a video like this, this time next year, then there's issues there. And I think all of these players are good squad players, but at the end of the day, I'm sure they want more first team football. And for one reason or another, their futures are subject to speculation. As I said, in conclusion, I think they're all good squad players and they've all got good contributions. I think, you know, form is temporary, class is permanent. I won't give up on any player that plays for Arsenal, but there are a lot of question marks over these players and a serious air of doubt surrounding these lot. So yeah, 2023-24 campaign wasn't anything to scream and shout about on an individual basis for these players. And I think it's make or break for them if decisions haven't been made already. Let me know your thoughts. Are there any players that you would persist with or would you just give up on all of them? Or are there some that you would give up on and some you'd persist on people? I've offered my thoughts. Football is a game of opinions. I'd love to know you lot's thoughts. So with that, don't forget to like, comment, subscribe, share your thoughts and thank you for listening. On that note, people, DG, I'm out.