Gabriel Martinelli had another difficult outing for Arsenal as they played out a frustrating 1-1 Premier League draw against Brentford on Saturday.
The Brazilian has been one of the Gunners’ top performers this campaign, registering seven goals and two assists from 20 league appearances.
However, he has failed to make a goal contribution in the last five league games. He was once again disappointing against the Bees at the Emirates.
Martinelli failed to win any of his eight duels while losing possession nine times. He failed to win a take-on. There were no surprises that he was brought off.
Leandro Trossard, who replaced him, scored within four minutes of coming on. The Belgian was once again lively from the left wing with two dribbles won.
He also won two ground duels for the Gunners while misplacing just one pass.
In our opinion, Mikel Arteta needs to make some big decisions going forward. One of those should be to drop Martinelli to the bench against Manchester City.
The Brazilian has been going through a lean patch over the past month and we believe Trossard deserves to make his full Premier League debut on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old was impressive in his full Gunners debut in the FA Cup fourth round against City. Arsenal should use his big-game record to their benefit.
Trossard scored against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City in the colours of Brighton earlier this season.
Arsenal are currently six points ahead of Manchester City at the top of the table, but the gap could reduce to three if City beat Aston Villa at home tomorrow.
Hence, the Gunners face a huge test of their title credentials in midweek. They can boost their chances with a win or a draw but a loss could see City leapfrog them, having played a game more.
Stats from Transfermarkt.com and Sofascore.com
