Jurgen Klopp may need been proper concerning the Brazilian winger, who’s tearing full-backs to shreds this season.
Bukayo Saka’s first aim within the 3-2 win in opposition to Liverpool final weekend was the right instance of the brand new and improved Gabriel Martinelli.
When Arsenal’s younger winger picked the ball up from Gabriel Jesus, he had half of the pitch in entrance of him to run into. He additionally knew there have been simply seconds left of first-half stoppage time.
Not so way back, this actual state of affairs would have led to 1 factor. Martinelli would have put his head down and simply charged in the direction of aim with little considered what was occurring round him.
That’s not a criticism, that’s simply the place he was in his sport, having solely been plucked from the Brazilian decrease leagues as an untried teenager in 2019.
However we are actually seeing a special Martinelli. A participant who has developed underneath Mikel Arteta. A participant who is aware of precisely what to do, and when to do it.
So, when he acquired the ball from Jesus and set off in the direction of the Liverpool aim on Sunday, he already had an image in his thoughts of how issues have been going to play out.
It wasn’t about scoring himself; it was about stepping into the right place to arrange a team-mate.
And Martinelli did precisely that, drawing the Liverpool defenders throughout earlier than rolling the ball throughout the six-yard field to provide Saka a tap-in on the again put up.
It was fine quality wing play from a participant who has gone up one other degree in the course of the first couple of months of 2022-23.
“I feel it’s my greatest season right here,” Martinelli mentioned after Sunday’s win in opposition to Liverpool. “I’m so completely happy for this second.”
And so he must be.
Martinelli has already scored 4 occasions in 9 Premier League appearances this season – simply two fewer than he managed in all the 2021-22 marketing campaign.
The 21-year-old additionally has two assists, together with the one he produced to arrange Saka so fantastically on Sunday.
“He’s an ideal participant,” Mikel Arteta mentioned when requested about Martinelli’s efficiency in opposition to Jurgen Klopp’s facet.
“I feel he had an excellent efficiency in opposition to a high workforce. He made a distinction within the sport and that’s the following degree, to step up in these video games and truly make issues occur.”
Martinelli has at all times been a participant who can excite when he’s on the pitch – that’s why he was such an on the spot hit amongst Arsenal followers following his transfer from Ituano three years in the past.
Nonetheless, at occasions, his inexperience would let him down, particularly together with his finish product within the ultimate third.
Arteta has labored exhausting on enhancing that and this season we are actually seeing a much more medical model of Martinelli.
The Brazilian is averaging a aim each 195.8 minutes to date, which is a marked enchancment upon his earlier marketing campaign (one each 311 minutes).
His shot conversion charge is 15.4 p.c – up from 11.5 p.c from 2021-22. He’s additionally averaging extra pictures per sport (3 in comparison with 2.5), extra pictures on track (1.3 in comparison with 0.8), creating extra probabilities (2.3 in comparison with 1.6) and finishing extra dribbles (2.3 in comparison with 2.2).
Martinelli has usual 19 probabilities from open play this time period – solely Mohamed Salah (26) and Kevin De Bruyne (20) have created extra.
Not solely is he now a extra dynamic participant, however he’s additionally a extra productive participant.
And – alongside Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka – he’s a part of a entrance three that’s as harmful as any within the English high flight, with the trio already amassing 22 direct aim involvements between them.
“It’s wonderful to play alongside them,” Martinelli mentioned. “We’ve lots of time to enhance. I feel now we have nice high quality, and I feel we will do extra.”
The important thing factor for Arsenal now’s to get Martinelli’s long-term future secured.
Improved performances will after all see golf equipment from throughout Europe casting their eyes in the direction of Arsenal’s prodigious younger expertise.
He’s now into the ultimate two years of his contract, which expires in the summertime of 2024, though the Gunners do have the choice of extending that deal by an extra two years.
Arsenal are conscious, nevertheless, that Martinelli must be rewarded with improved phrases that match his stature within the workforce and talks over a brand new contract are progressing.
The participant is in little question that he “needs to remain” and Arsenal followers will probably be hoping that negotiations are swift and comparatively ache free as a result of Martinelli has confirmed already this season that he’s as particular as many individuals predicted he could be.
The boy that Jurgen Klopp as soon as described because the “expertise of the century” is all grown up.