Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli shone in the 2022-23 campaign, but he found himself in something of a slump as he struggled this season.
The Brazilian scored 15 Premier League goals last year, but managed just six in 33 games in this campaign, but these did include vital strikes against Liverpool and Manchester City.
Martinelli is Arsenal’s paciest outlet when it comes to wingers, but his lack of consistent form meant he was dropped for Leandro Trossard towards the end of the season.
His poor campaign can be blamed on several factors such as injuries disrupting his momentum, but one key decision in midfield directly harmed his ability to succeed on the left-hand side.
Arsenal losing Granit Xhaka has made Gabriel Martinelli suffer
Midfielder Granit Xhaka departed in a £21.4m deal last summer, and went on to win a historic undefeated league and cup double for Bayer Leverkusen.
His absence was felt in midfield. Kai Havertz joined and struggled before he moved to a striker role, but Martinelli still suffered as a result.
Xhaka was vital to Arsenal’s buildup on the left. He would drift wide and combine with Martinelli to create chances, whilst also providing extra defensive support behind him.
Havertz did not do this when in midfield, and this often left Martinelli completely isolated on the touchline, rather than being able to cut inside and shoot.
Martinelli dropped from 0.97 shots on target per 90 minutes in 2022-23, to 0.89 this season, with his reduced game time, confidence and support playing a part in his lower goal tally.
Arsenal midfield dynamics disadvantage Gabriel Martinelli
Arsenal mostly attack down the right side, with Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Ben White all linking up superbly.
This is far from the case on the left. There has been constant change at left-back, and both Takehiro Tomiyasu and Jakub Kiwior offer far less than White going forward on the other side.
Declan Rice has recently thrived in a more advanced midfield role, but this is still tweaked from Xhaka’s role as he does not drift out wide as much.
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The decision to let Xhaka leave was more costly than initially realised, but Mikel Arteta may not be worried. Martinelli is just 22, and with a few tweaks as a new midfielder possibly arrives, the Brazil International will hope to regain his best form next season.