There was a moment against Porto that felt rather symbolic of Gabriel Martinelli’s season. The Arsenal winger squared up to his opponent, shifted the ball outside and badly sliced his attempted cross, which struck a photographer behind the advertising boards at Estádio do Dragão.
It was not the only time that Martinelli, 22, made a mess of his final ball and to compound his woes, later in the second half his lofted pass was cut out and led to the only goal for Porto in the dying seconds of the round-of-16, first-leg Champions League tie.
Martinelli has struggled to find the same spark and attacking explosion compared with last season, when he contributed 21 goals across competitions. He has managed less than half that sum this time, including only two assists in the Premier League, and fewer shots. But for a lack of options on the substitutes’ bench in Portugal, he might have been taken off early, as he was when Arsenal needed a goal in consecutive defeats by West Ham United and Fulham at the turn of the year.
It is no surprise that Martinelli tore forward and looked to be at his best when able to use the space vacated by Trent Alexander-Arnold in the 3-1 win over Liverpool this month. He used his strength and pace to run on to a long ball and put Arsenal back into the lead. But just like Arsenal, he has found it harder against opponents who have sat deep, or in a block — with Porto being the latest example.
A couple of months ago Mikel Arteta, the Arsenal manager, reflected that Martinelli would need to add subtlety to his game. Some players have a body-swerve, a step-over, or another trick or fade. “Sometimes the efficiency, and putting the brake down and lifting your head up, for everybody it’s the most difficult thing to do and finding that composure or timing in the box,” Arteta said. “Sometimes it’s decision-making. Confidence is not a problem for Gabi.”
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Arteta believes that Martinelli, who was briefly affected by a hamstring injury in the autumn, creates opportunities for others through his aggression and attracting opponents to mark him.
When Martinelli suffered a dip in January last season, after he returned from the World Cup finals in Qatar, he got fewer minutes in matches and started on the bench against Aston Villa in mid-February. He came on to score the final goal in a 4-2 win and added seven more strikes in the next nine league matches.
Arteta gave him a rest recently and Leandro Trossard started in place of him on the left, making Arsenal a little more technical in the 5-0 win over Crystal Palace last month. But Arteta’s ability to give his wingers a rest and change things has been hampered by injuries to Gabriel Jesus, who is among six outfield players in the treatment room. Jorginho was the only substitute used against Porto, leaving Eddie Nketiah and Emile Smith Rowe to wonder about their futures on the bench.
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Performance data suggests that, if anything, Martinelli has been trying even harder to make things happen, but some of his output has not been as good. Compared with last season he has had more touches in the penalty area (8.38 per 90 minutes compared to 7.43 last) and attempted more dribbles (5.78 compared to 4.13), but has been successful with relatively fewer (2.07 compared to 2.3). His crossing has been more accurate, but he has made only three big chances, compared with 11 for last season. His shots per 90 minutes have dropped from 2.48 to 2.04. The upshot appears to be that he has become more of an effective team player, rather than contributing goals.
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A cursory look at a map of his activity on the pitch suggests he has mainly played closer to the touchline this season, which may be attributed in part to Kai Havertz replacing Granit Xhaka on the left of midfield.
As Bukayo Saka has pointed out, opponents have doubled up and restricted the space for the two wingers, recognising that they help to drive the team. When Martin Odegaard tried to play an early ball wide on Wednesday night, Porto stopped the passing lanes.
Newcastle United could well follow the same blueprint when they play at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday, having frustrated Arsenal and sat back for a 0-0 draw last season. As Declan Rice acknowledged, they and European teams are a different proposition to Burnley and West Ham, who were open and conceded a combined 11 goals to Arsenal in the past fortnight.
“Not every game is going to be [scoring] fives and sixes,” Rice said. “We are going to play teams who have watched us and see what they can do to stop us. We have lost and drawn games this season, and I have seen the changing room after and it’s been really bad. But tonight there is real positivity.”
Rice has experience of turning around Europa League ties when playing for West Ham in the past two seasons. “We have got to have a bit of savviness to see out the game, because if you can’t win, definitely don’t lose — especially in a knockout game,” he said.
