Close Menu
    [James Benge] Across the season as a whole, Arsenal average 1.04 xG from open play per 90 minutes. In the minutes when Gyokeres and Martinelli share the field, that number craters to 0.29
    Arsenal

    [James Benge] Across the season as a whole, Arsenal average 1.04 xG from open play per 90 minutes. In the minutes when Gyokeres and Martinelli share the field, that number craters to 0.29


    [James Benge] Across the season as a whole, Arsenal average 1.04 xG from open play per 90 minutes. In the minutes when Gyokeres and Martinelli share the field, that number craters to 0.29

    by Sad_gooner

    Share.
    View 23 Comments

    23 Comments

    2. BackgroundSoggy3002 on

      Depressing stat. Arteta out at the end of the season please, regardless of how it all pans out.

    3. Aggravating_Pizza592 on

      As much as I’m harsh on Martinelli , I don’t think he’s a winger . It would be like playing Gyokores there . Up front you could argue Martinelli would be more effective than Gyokores because he’s better aerially and can make better defence splitting runs

    5. ToegrinderSC on

      On one hand I’m really impressed with what Arteta has got out of this championship attack the last 2 seasons, but on the other hand it’s him that is responsible for the signings

    8. Billoo77 on

      Saw Gyokeres picking up the ball and playing off the left side so much on Saturday.

      It was bizarre, why wasn’t our speed demon winger the one attacking the fullback?

    9. SkyHawk96 on

      Can’t be blamed on Martinelli, as he links up great with Havertz (see sporting goal) and especially used to with Jesus

    10. cosmo_K on

      It is really obvious for anyone with eyes. I have said it on here a bunch of times that it worries me that he keeps picking this combination. And he’s even done it quite a few times against teams you would expect to sit deep which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.

    11. Educational-Goal-678 on

      ..”Add Noni Madueke to the equation, a more effective outlet for progressive passes but a volume dribbler who is prepared to gamble with possession, and you drop to 0.14.”

      Also: “There’s a caveat in there around how often the aforementioned three share the field together. They have only started eight matches together, but those eight matches have delivered only four wins.”

      We started on Saturday with 3 attackers who aren’t particularly inform, Gyokeres has picked it up in 2026 but then he’s flanked by 2 players who just aren’t contributing much, especially in the PL. Gyokeres isn’t performing well enough that he compensates for that alone.

      We need our best players, simple as that.

    12. Prestigious-Mess-603 on

      our attack is championship level as it is but when paired up with being misprofiled and asked to hold hands with the linesmen all game it’s 10x worse. Martinelli had his best season for us playing closer to goal so the only right answer is to make him into a touchline winger

    13. dlnqnt on

      Martinelli touched the ball less than 7 times in the first half against Bournemouth, he wasn’t played into the game.

    15. TheVault77Dweller on

      How the fuck are we top of the league? We have a rotating injury crisis every 5 games, no attacker has been even close to inform and stats like this every week. Yet we’re 6 points clear. It’s like the universe it’s trying to give us the title but these players/manager just don’t want it

    16. Tiadrop48 on

      You can’t have two players who don’t contribute in build-up phases. One of the best ways of beating man-to-man pressing is with players rotating roles but neither of Martinelli and Gyokores have the tactical intelligence/technical security to do so consistently. It just results in static, stale play where it feels like we’re down a player.

      I think Arteta would probably have wanted to start this duo less often but Havertz has been injured for most of the season. Trossard is also old and playing through injury, so a lot of the time we haven’t much of a choice but to play something we know doesn’t work.

    17. Shinzo19 on

      We have attackers and we have creators, Martinelli shone brightest with an in form Jesus who was a perfect 9 for him, Gyok is not going to be floating out to the left wing so Nelli can make a central run and find him with a great pass or a “pre” assist type pass, sure Gjok has gone out to the left a handful of times and nothing happened.

      Gyokeres is also not a number 9 and this season has shown that even with a bit of improvement with trying to be a 9 he just doesn’t have it in him, he is not a creator so when he is with players who would benefit from him being more like an inform Havertz or Jesus it isn’t going to happen.

      This is all on top of the fact that our team has lacked ANY creativity for a while now and then you can see why putting Nelli, Gyok and Madueki with Eze and Rice behind them is going to be an xG pitfall.

      Arteta also making the team super risk averse is just the icing on the cake.

    18. MasterofLockers on

      How have we managed to keep on top for so long with stats like this? Our defence has been good but not spectacular. Maybe we need to give Arteta credit for developing a game plan for each opposition that maximises every opportunity.

    19. kingtanti13 on

      Shocking that two players at their best when at the end of movements and fewer touches/less time to think…also create the fewest chances. It’s almost like we should find ways to create chances FOR them to finish. Hmmmm

    20. TomislavNedanovski on

      What I’ve been saying all this year. Apart from the goalkeeper, our defense and Rice the team is not worthy to be deemed as a title favourite. Tell me one player outside the ones which I mentioned that will play for a world class team in Eurore (Barca, Real, Bayern, etc.). Maybe Odegaard and Saka and that is pretty much it. I do not blame Arteta for the style of play and relying on the teams strengths. I do blame him though for the signings that he made this season. Zubimendi, Gyokeres, Eze and Madueke are not worth the money that we spent on them this season. It would have been better to spend that money on 2 elite world class 100+ million players like we did with Rice. It is a luxury to be in the title race with the creative and attacking options that we have. Most see us not winning the title as a disgrace and it feels that way because we have not won it in 20+ years, the money spent and the fact that we have been the table leaders almost all season, but be on the verge of qualifying for the UCL semis for the second straight year and one good game away at City to still be the favourite for the title is an over-achievement for me. UCL final is not unplausible as well, especially if Atletico win against Barca.

    22. Chidoribraindev on

      I don’t get how our wingers cannot play with our striker. It seems so basic. Run, cross/pass. What are they doing wrong? I can’t even think of what Martinelli and Gyokeres do wrong when together