Arsenal legend Thierry Henry believes one of the team’s key starters needs to improve his game and find consistency soon, or it will be detrimental to the team’s progress.
Speaking on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football, the Frenchman explained that Brazilian star Gabriel Martinelli needs to use his raw abilities more to his advantage to find form. He said,
“Gabriel Martinelli’s best asset is pace, but he never uses it. When he’s one-v-one with space in behind, he opts for the safe option and plays backwards. I would never do that. And when Arsenal are in trouble, what do they do? Pass the ball to Bukayo Saka. Every team knows this.”
Henry went into further detail and drew comparisons with Liverpool, who according to him are a much more well-rounded side. He added,
“Liverpool are unpredictable going forward – you see Joe Gomez, Darwin Nunez, Diogo Jota running at defenders. But with Arsenal, you know Saka will play to Martin Odegaard. They’re too predictable.”
Having played at the highest level for the Gunners himself, Thierry Henry has spoken sense about his beloved Arsenal once more.
Henry highlights Arsenal’s reliance on set-pieces
Arsenal have become a force to be reckoned with when it comes to set-pieces in the last couple of season’s due to specialised coaching form Nicolas Jover. They have earned a reputation of finding it easy to score from corners and free-kicks, with players like Gabriel Magalhaes, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice involved in the taking and conversion.
To that tune, Henry mentioned the Gunners’ lack of variety in attack. He said,
“When Arsenal are in trouble, the ball goes to Saka. Martinelli has the ability to set up tap-ins for teammates by cutting inside, but he doesn’t. Against Manchester United, both goals came from corners because we didn’t create much in open play.”
Having drawn against Everton last time out, the Gunners will host Crystal Place in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, followed by a Premier League clash against the same opposition next weekend.
