Manchester United legend turned Premier League pundit Gary Neville was not impressed by Gabriel Martinelli’s performance on Saturday. The Arsenal winger’s crisis of confidence could see him dumped out of the starting XI as his replacement against Aston Villa, Leandro Trossard, swiftly set the Gunners on the path to a 2-0 victory.
The teams were still deadlocked at Villa Park by the time Martinelli was substituted for Trossard shortly after the hour mark. Two minutes later, the Belgian struck with pinpoint accuracy to justify his super-sub tag.
“The competition is big, we have great players in each position and they are going to have to accept that,” he told Sky Sports. “We have a huge season in front of us, a long one and you need players to make an impact. (Trossard) did that last year when he started and when he was a sub, and he has given us a headache for next weekend.”
Serial Premier League winner Neville got a close look at left-winger Martinelli on Saturday and discovered that he is ‘lacking belief’, ‘hesitating’ and ‘in need of attention’.
As a former right-back, his opinion on Martinelli’s battle with Matty Cash and Kosta Nedeljkovic holds plenty of weight. And his conclusion doesn’t bode well for the Brazilian when a player like Trossard is full of confidence and waiting for his chance to impress.
As a former right-back, his opinion on Martinelli’s battle with Matty Cash and Kosta Nedeljkovic holds plenty of weight. And his conclusion doesn’t bode well for the Brazilian when a player like Trossard is full of confidence and waiting for his chance to impress.
“There was a moment in the game when he was counter-attacking against Pau Torres and Matty Cash in the early part of the game.
