Ian Wright has message for Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli after Leandro Trossard ‘bamboozled’ Aston Villa

It’s a shame to see Martinelli performing so far below the level many have become accustomed to seeing him at, with the trip to Villa Park offering no sign of resurgence.

To make matters worse for the 23-year-old, Leandro Trossard replaced him in the second half and netted Arsenal’s opener just two minutes later.

Ian Wright issues warning to Gabriel Martinelli after Leandro Trossard impact

The victory over Villa couldn’t have gone much better for Trossard, who scored with his first touch of the game.

Before the Belgian’s opener, there were doubts over whether Arsenal had enough going forward to score at Villa Park, with the 29-year-old’s clinical streak coming in clutch again.

Speaking in reaction to the game on the Wrighty’s House podcast, club legend Ian Wright pinpointed what Trossard did so effectively that Martinelli failed to do.

“Gabriel Martinelli, it’s not kicked in yet for him as you could see with the couple opportunities he had, his decisions weren’t great,” Wright explained.

“Then when Trossard came on, he showed that with the same space we were getting the ball to Gabi, he was able to run at the player. He (Trossard) had the same space, his runs that he made to the defender, finished him, killed him.”

Wright gave his expert striker assessment on the impact that Trossard’s movement had on the game, further emphasizing what is missing from Martinelli’s approach.

“People said ‘Gabi’s got to play because Villa play a high line’, no, it’s the movement and the fact that Villa are not closing you down in the midfield.

“I think it was Gabriel that passed the ball to him (Trossard), a center-back, Trossard has come towards the ball then over the top, he bamboozled them.”

Arsenal must drop Martinelli to encourage form

It’s such a shame to see Martinelli operating at the level he is, with his display’s on the left side incredibly frustrating to watch.

Trossard came on at Villa Park and gave the Brazilian a lesson in how to get the most out of the game and the position, setting an example to the 23-year-old.

With Brighton up next in another challenging fixture, it’s integral that Mikel Arteta now demotes Martinelli to the bench, to give Trossard the starting spot he deserves.

As well as being able to reward the Belgian, competition for the position might be what Martinelli requires to rediscover the form he showed back in the 2022/23 season.

Wright’s assessment of the game rings true, with Trossard making the decisive decisions that were far from Martinelli’s thought process on the day, seeing the Brazil international’s actions predictable from the opposition’s point of view.

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