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‘Sorry’: Martinelli says he had to apologise to Arsenal coach after scoring a great goal in December
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has revealed that a positional mistake allowed him to score a great goal against Leeds United back in December.
The Brazilian has been a real star for Arsenal in recent months. He has scored four goals and has provided two assists in just 11 starts in the Premier League this season, which is a fantastic return for a 20-year-old.
Martinelli is a star in the making and he will surely be a big player for Arsenal in the coming years. He has the potential to become one of the best in the Premier League and under Mikel Arteta, he will get opportunities to show the world what he’s all about.
However, he still has a lot to learn and a moment in the game against Leeds United is a great example.
Gabriel Martinelli says he had to apologise to Arsenal coach after Leeds game
Of the four goals Martinelli has scored in the Premier League this season, two of them came in the same game against Leeds United back in December.
For his second goal, which was a brilliant finish after a fantastic through ball by Granit Xhaka, the Brazilian wasn’t where he was supposed to be. His instructions were to mark Leeds’ right-back, but he didn’t and that luckily resulted in a goal.
Explaining what happened in the dressing room the day after, Martinelli told : “When I scored this one against Leeds, I was supposed to be running back to defend. I scored the goal.
“The next day in the meeting, (Arteta’s assistant) Albert Stuivenberg said: ‘You scored a great goal but you were supposed to mark the full-back’. I said: ‘No, sorry!’”
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Arteta is very particular about positional discipline in his system. The Arsenal boss expects every player to know exactly where they must be during each phase of play, but that’s not always easy.
Gabriel Martinelli forgot to track back in that phase and that could’ve hurt Arsenal. However, Leeds gave away possession in a very dangerous area and Xhaka set the Brazilian through on goal with a fantastic pass.
It’s really interesting that Martinelli was questioned about his positioning in that moment of the game even though it played into Arsenal’s hands and he scored an excellent goal.
He had to apologise for his error but this is just a great example that mistakes in life don’t always end up hurting you, sometimes you’re rewarded too.
