Mikel Arteta's side welcome the league-leaders to the Emirates on Sunday in what already feels like a huge title showdown
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When Arsenal went to Anfield on 9 April, 2023, they were on a seven-match winning run in the Premier League and had the title firmly in their sights. Victory against Liverpool would have boosted their momentum heading into what seemed a relatively straightforward couple of fixtures – away to West Ham and home to Southampton – before a showdown at second-place Manchester City at the end of the month.
The Gunners, as they so often did in 2022-23, started magnificently. Gabriel Martinelli opened the scoring inside eight minutes, and he turned provider for namesake Gabriel Jesus just before the half-hour mark. Mikel Arteta's boys were turning into men and marching towards the crown.
But not even the most pessimistic Gooner could have foreseen the collapse about to unfold. Mohamed Salah scrambled one home for Liverpool on the stroke of half-time, while he missed a penalty towards the start of the second 45 as Arsenal were smothered out of the contest, eventually clinging on for a 2-2 draw – the first in a run of three successive yet inexplicable stalemates before essentially handing City the title at the Etihad Stadium.
This Sunday, Arsenal face off with Liverpool again, once more in need of three points to ignite their title hopes, once more hoping Martinelli can make a difference. The Brazilian winger hasn't quite been the same since that trip to Anfield 18 months ago, but is coming back into the form that first made him revered and adored around the streets of N5.
Follow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱AFP'Talent of the century'
Part of Martinelli's unlikely and enjoyable ascent to Arsenal stardom is the fact he was plucked from relative obscurity, arriving in 2019 from Brazilian minnows Ituano in the lower depths of the footballing pyramid.
No one would have blamed the Gunners for easing Martinelli into first-team action, or better yet loaned him out in order to get his palate adjusted to football that wasn't . Alas, he was simply too talented to let go without taking him for a test run.
At only 19, Martinelli was already an established fixture in the squad and someone the Arsenal faithful were hoping could lead their rebuild. The team's soft underbelly and frustrating lack of ingenuity were integral to their malaise, only countered by prospects such as Martinelli, Bukayo Saka and Emile Smith Rowe pulling in the other direction.
Jurgen Klopp was first impressed by the Brazilian after the Gunners' Carabao Cup exit to Liverpool late in 2019, remarking, "He's a talent of the century, he's an incredible striker. He's really unbelievable. So young, looks so mature already, is a proper threat. Yeah, he looks like a really decent player. I didn't want to put any backpack [pressure] on his back with this thing, but I just really like good football players and obviously he's a very good one."
There was an obsession that Klopp developed for Martinelli, one that kept creeping up when Liverpool inflicted misery on Arsenal in that same cup competition, later saying in 2022 after dumping the north Londoners out in the semi-finals, "Martinelli, by the way, everyone should remember that name. Outstanding player."
AdvertisementGetty Images SportUnderrated spark
So we get it, that's some seal of approval. Now Martinelli had to string together some performances and add some goals to his game, make his mark on an Arsenal team now expected to start delivering on their promise.
And there it came. Bang. Out Martinelli came racing out of the blocks for 2022-23, the balancing menace to a formidable front four featuring Saka, Jesus and new club-captain Martin Odegaard – all registered at least 16 goal involvements apiece, spreading the love around in true total-football fashion. The magic was back at Arsenal and they were Premier League-leaders for essentially 90 percent of the campaign.
Though they couldn't hold on to claim their first title in 19 years, the seeds were sewn for the future. This was surely the awesome foursome behind any long-term success to come their way. At this point, some Arsenal fans were making the case for Martinelli to start for Brazil, either alongside or in place of either Vinicius Jr and Rodrygo. There was at least an argument to be made on that trajectory, only that upward trend wouldn't last.
AFPIn a rut
Martinelli ended 2022-23 with 15 goals and five assists in the Premier League alone, yet these tallies fell to six and four, respectively, despite playing only one fewer game in the following campaign. Whatever lightning he had contained in a bottle had scampered, with nothing left but a gloomy storm cloud over the joyful Brazilian's head.
To the outside world, it seemed a strange mystery. Arsenal still maintained their place as City's closest challengers – and this time took the title race to the final day of the season, beating their own points and goals scored tallies from the year prior – yet the life had been sucked out of Martinelli.
It uncovered the type of winger Martinelli truly was. You can pigeonhole him as a touchline dribbler who isn't afraid to get chalk on his boots, you can categorise him as an inside-forward whose main threat is within the 18-yard box. But ultimately, above all else, he is a confidence player.
Arteta's adjustments to make Arsenal more streetwise at the back as well as a constant goal threat saw Martinelli shunted to the fringes of the game, before eventually ceding his spot in the starting XI – he only played two full 90s in the second half of the season.
The departure of Granit Xhaka was also a hurdle which Martinelli failed to really clear. The Swiss' phenomenal final season in north London saw him develop an intrinsic and almost instinctive relationship with the left winger, with both benefitting to the maximum. Though £105m-man Declan Rice proved a fine and able upgrade on Xhaka, his connection with Martinelli has never come close to being the same, while the less said about Kai Havertz's midfield experiment the better.
All of a sudden, you're in a rut. The goals aren't flowing, the head drops, the mind tricks itself. Martinelli still brought the intensity and energy needed to play under Arteta, but was nowhere near the same kind of threat.
Getty Images SportFinding his feet again
There's still life in Martinelli yet, particularly with Arsenal's style regressing into conservatism in their search for trophies and titles. Arteta has his side playing at a more controlled tempo and digging in deep defensively, with even Saka often tasked with tracking all the way into his own third and sometimes acting as a wing-back of sorts.
A brutal start to the season has taken its toll on the Gunners, who are now in the midst of their worst injury crisis in the Spaniard's tenure. They are leaning on fringe players to fill in and their B-list stars to step into the spotlight – Havertz has largely filled the void and Leandro Trossard is doing all he can to plug the holes here and there.
In Martinelli's last three Premier League appearances, he has two goals and two assists, while he was the star of the show in Tuesday's gritty 1-0 win at home to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Speaking to post-match, he repeatedly claimed his work is for the team; there was never a mention of his form, no soundbite to make it about himself, instead trying to spin the positives of the season so far.
Where his team-mates have looked tired and lethargic, slower and steadier, Martinelli has maintained his characteristic doggedness and drive. If you remove last Saturday's blip at Bournemouth, he's come back into prime form at the perfect time for Arteta.