Mikel Arteta Explains Martinelli Substitution Against Aston Villa

By The Editor
on 10th December 2023

Arteta explains why Martinelli was subbed off…

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta revealed that Gabriel Martinelli was substituted against Aston Villa because his presence was causing us to play in a way that would’ve caused more problems, the Spaniard said after the game.

Unai Emery deployed a relatively high line as he defended a one-goal lead, a tactic that confused our attacking players in terms of the timing of their runs and passes.

Martinelli was our main outlet as we chased an equaliser and while he was wasteful in possession, our attacking output lost steam when he was withdrawn.

Leandro Trossard is a tidy player but lacks the explosive pace needed to unsettle a high defensive line, especially when Aston Villa brought on Matty Cash to combat his introduction.

Arteta stated that we started developing a habit of rushing passes towards the left which caused us to lack control and also provided chances for the home side to counter-attack,

“It was because we started to attack in a way that wasn’t too much from his side,” Arteta told the press when asked why the 22-year-old was substituted.

“We started to rush decisions, play the ball in behind too early, and from areas where you aren’t going to hurt them and you get exposed afterwards. I think it was enough to get much more than what we had.”

Arteta spent the match suspended from the touchline due to celebrating our last-gasp winner at Luton and one wonders if those changes would’ve been made if the Spaniard was able to communicate directly with his coaching staff.

The boss will be back on the bench for our next league clash, though he’s yet to hear from The FA regarding their punishment after being charged for his post-match comments at Newcastle United five weeks ago.