The Martinelli Meltdown: A Fan's Perspective on a Disappointing Streak

0 goals and assists in 17 games is unacceptable. The last time Martinelli actually scored for this club was against Sheffield United last season. Obviously, there's been performances where he's been good and not necessarily scored or assisted, but again, in a day and age where we're trying to win a title and things like that, it's unacceptable. Now, I'm not advocating a pile on making it all about Martinelli. It's another game where Martinelli's had two chances, definitely a second one where he should have converted. And again, for me personally, he needs to, he's the topic of this video. He has to face the music in that regard. But at the same time, I think it's highlighted because clearly there's an imbalance in our attacking play. Clearly, there's a lack of creativity and we're able to remember the handful of chances that we're creating. Against Atalanta, really and truly, what did we create? Saka had a free kick, you know, obviously forced a good save. Martinelli had two clear-cut chances and Martin Odegaard is evidently a big miss for this football club where creativity is concerned, but I think you're very naive if you think that's the only reason. There's been times we've had Odegaard and we struggled for creativity. Around this time last season, you know, all the talk was about bringing in a striker, but let alone chance conversion, chance creation was an issue. So it's a, you know, Mikel Arteta has to go back to the drawing board. I love the defensive aspect of how we approach games. I love all of that. I love the individual defenders we've got. I love their performances. But, you know, again, we need to be able to create. Goals win games and we're not doing enough in that regard, essentially, and players are not pulling their weight. You look at the three Gabriels at the club, unfortunately, the centre-half is more of a potent goal for it. Gabriel Jesus couldn't tell you the last time he scored. Gabriel Martinelli, it's been poor really and truly. And I think he was fairly lively against Atalanta and I'll support him regardless. I'm with him to the end. But if he was to be dropped for Manchester City or going forward, I couldn't have any complaints, you know, against Atalanta. You know, he had zero goals or assists, zero shots on target, zero chances created, zero successful dribbles, zero accurate crosses, zero duels won, zero fouls and one big chance missed. Now, obviously, it was a good tactical matchup. Both teams kind of cancelled each other out. And, you know, Martinelli was poor along with everybody in a sense of it's very different from the Spurs game where, yeah, he could have had an assist but the performance was there. And Martinelli needs to kick on now. I'm going to stand behind my player and always support him. And you have to wonder why he continuously plays ahead of Trosser at this moment, Gabriel Jesus at wide or Raheem Sterling. That tells you where the manager is, people. But it needs to improve, man. I think he's got that in his locker. But I'm at the point now, I don't know what it is. Do I think his confidence is shot? Yes and no. I do think his confidence is shot. Naturally, you know, as much as he contributes defensively and things of that ilk, people, you know you haven't scored in 17 games and you're performing like a player in the final four because generally across 90 minutes, I think the performance is beyond the obvious with frustrations with Martinelli needing to get your head up, look a bit cleaner in what you're doing and applying yourself in that regard. The performance is there. I wouldn't say you're looking like your confidence is missing, but it does. It has to be. 17 games without a goal is unheard of, really. And it's unacceptable for a team that wants to win a title. Again, Kai Havertz is doing his job even though he's not a prolific man. Sakhar is. Martinelli, you're a regular. You've got to do that, really. His confidence has to be shot. I'll write down some notes because in life it's about articulating how you feel. As I've said here, I think the weirdest thing for me about Martinelli is sure he isn't polished, he's rough around the edges and he's capable of moments of positive chaos. So that's why I like him. I love the player, but I like to lie to myself and pretend he's Alexis Sanchez. You lot are going to have to allow me in that because I remember in tough times when there wasn't a reason to want to perform for this football club, he was doing that, people. We've been saying for around six months, when was the last time he scored? We're looking at around six months from the last time he scored. I believe in the guy, but I'm scared. I'm with him to the end, but he's in that territory where he just needs the ball to go in anyhow, whether it comes off his ear, off his elbow, obviously that would be disallowed. He just needs to score really and truly, or he needs a charity penalty if we ever get one in the same vein Odegaard gave one to Kai Havertz. For me, it's confidence. When he gets in those goal-scoring opportunities, he doesn't strike me as someone that genuinely believes he's going to score. If you go and watch the chance he had against Spurs where he's missed it before the contact and Vicario's made the save, you can see him kicking himself internally. It doesn't seem to me like he genuinely believes he's going to score when he gets into those positions, which again indirectly goes back to confidence because in all the other phases, he's doing quote-unquote okay, even though it could improve. The next for me is finishing. I would like to see Martinelli a bit more polished technically and clearly he's obviously tried to get back into form. I'm sure Mikel Arteta and the players and the coaching staff have been giving him tips and trying to help him. But is it a case of he needs to stay behind in training? Does he need to get Thierry Henry, Ian Wright or even Jeremy Ali? Yeah, he's got to be around the Emirates somewhere people to work on his finishing because the technical quality that is required to pull off these finishes is not polished enough. Again, it's easy for me to critique. Don't know how you've ballooned those chances against Atalanta. The Thierry Henry-esque finish that you tried to do against Spurs, the application weren't there. So I do think the technical quality required to act out these finishes needs to improve for Martinelli, man. It needs to happen. I don't know if it's one-to-one training. I'm sure he's been given all the individual coaching debriefs that Carlos Cuesta could provide. I don't know where we go with this Martinelli, but it's beyond an issue to go 0017. That's crazy. But there's been an issue there. Now it's got to the point where even though I love Martinelli, rather than, you see the season he had that strong goal scoring breakout is the word I'm looking for. Was that a purple patch? Have you always been this player and everything you touch that season is going to gold? And I'm backing Martinelli to the end. I'm with him to the end. I'll always support him. But is it a thing where that was a purple patch and you was never that guy? Rather than us say, oh, the Martinelli of two years ago. I don't know. And I don't want to waffle about the Martinelli of two years ago because it's irrelevant. And what I don't want is a pile on about Martinelli, about the Atalanta game. We had one shot on target after, was it, past the 18th minute, which was Martinelli at one point, people. We're not creating chances. We're not creating, yeah, we've got the defensive stuff on lock, playing out from the back, going into midfield, but we're not creating. Obviously we need Martin Odegaard. We need him. He's the creative hub of this team. But you're very naive if you assume that Martin Odegaard plays tomorrow, we create a lot more. Naturally, 100% we do. They're square pegs in round holes. And the wickedest thing about the Atalanta game for me is it just went down the toilet in the second half. The first half wasn't perfect, but I think Havard's in line with his capabilities. Jesus, Martinelli, Saka, the whole boys, everybody was doing okay. It just became chance creation. And as much as we want to be defensively solid, and I love that and we cannot marry that, go away from that. Mid blocks, low blocks, they are a kryptonite of ours, people. And this is why for me, away from home in Europe, I look at it a bit different. But I don't want it all to become about Martinelli, because again, we created about two, three chances. And if Martinelli's form's on the floor, why is it falling to the player that is the least clinical at the moment in the front line? Mikel Arteta has to arrest that. I love our defensive outlook. If we rock up to City and we're defensively kind of solid in the same way we were big up Davide Rai for getting us out of jail against Atalanta and against Firse, I'm not against it, but you will be given half chances and crucially, you need to take advantage of those. And even that, even though I, again, being devil's advocate, I think we're one of the best defensive teams in Europe. But even that, at this point in the season, who in the final third are we really praising? Big up Saka, he's doing his thing, he's doing what needs to be done. Where you go through the Arsenal team, is Timber getting the praise? Is Califuri again in the little cameos that he's doing his thing? Every week he's pulling off saves, woo, big saves. Spurs hardly ask any questions, big saves. Aston Villa got us out of jail. Lord knows how he saved a penalty, let alone the follow-up effort from the spot for Atalanta yesterday. So again, are we really that defensively solid? If week in, week out, we're seeing it. And as much as I love Davide Rai, I love the saves, love the fact that nobody cares in a positive way about Ramsdale anymore. I don't want to see Davide Rai our highest rated player. I want to go back to when Davide Rai wasn't seen on the pitch because he was doing what we needed to do in the final third. So I don't want this to become a pile-on about Martinelli, but at the end of the day, that man needs to rest his form. I'm with him until the end, but Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus, people need to pull their weight. Sterling, you've not really had minutes like that, but take your opportunities. And it raises in question what the hell we're doing on that left side. It is what it is. And I do think even consequently, Mikel Arteta, you look at our game against Atalanta, obviously we're going along, we're finding Havertz on occasion, Declan Rice is making those forward runs. We're trying to win the first one and operate off the second. Of course, Kai Havertz has dropped into midfield to get Jesus. Jesus is a technical footballer. Havertz will put a shift in and run him behind. But we've invented these issues off our own back because of the personnel we've got and the roles that they're in. Like even yesterday, Kai Havertz in midfield is not pretty to watch. He played good, but in terms of the technical swagger, it's not pretty to watch. Normally, Odegaard takes the playing from deep stuff and makes it happen. So I'm not going to say we don't have a plan to score goals because that would be stupid and naive. And no matter how you set up a team, you need plans. But as an ignorant fan, if I put my ignorant cap on, defensively we know what we're doing. In the final third, we're winging it. And even that, I'm not criticising Mikel Arteta. And I love the fact that it's very structured and every player's got an individual job that is for the collective role of the team in which Mikel Arteta has carefully planned. And I like all of that stuff. Everybody's got a direct role in the team of what they need to do and how it ties into our game plan. But at the same time, Gaffer, in the final third, I am starting to wonder, is it too scripted? Do we stick too much to the script? Do we need that healthy randomness? Because creativity in essence in life is freedom. Football is no different. How much freedom is there? If Arteta is giving them a lot of freedom in the final third and these lot are moving short, then that's another question. But I'm not privy to that kind of information. So something needs to be said. I'm with Martinelli to the end. We're going to get back to goal scoring. We're starting again on Sunday. I'm too far to turn back. I'm too far. I said I'll delete my YouTube channel if Gabriel Jesus doesn't get 15 league goals. I've been talking about Martinelli. I'll back my boys. I'm never going to desert them. I'm in the mud, people. But it's scary on a serious note. But on a serious note, let me know your thoughts. Thank you for listening to my therapy session. I feel a lot better now. But on that note, you lot stay safe, stay blessed. Peace.