Martinelli shoves Aubameyang towards Arsenal exit
Robin Bairner
- 18 Dec 2021 13:47 CST
- 3 min read
Gabriel Martinelli has helped seal the fate of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang at Arsenal, with the young Brazilian’s return to form continuing in the Gunners’ easy 4-1 win over Leeds.
Not only did he score the opening two goals to leave Marcelo Bielsa’s side reeling, he ranked first in terms of chances created and shots, showcasing what was a fine all-round performance by a player getting back towards his best after injury.
Even when Aubameyang was available, he was never truly firing. Four goals did arrive in a six-match burst that briefly promised a return to the prolific scorer of hold, yet indiscipline has seen him fall so far out of Mikel Arteta’s plans that he has not even trained with the first team this week.
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Martinelli, meanwhile, has taken his opportunity with relish. After grabbing the opener in a 2-0 win over West Ham in midweek, he chipped in with a couple more at Elland Road as Arsenal further cemented themselves in the top four.
Indeed, he has scored as many league goals since 27 November as Aubameyang has managed all season.
Martinelli exposed a hopelessly disjointed Leeds defence to put Arsenal out of reach in the first half.
First, he showed fine scoring instincts to react to a loose ball in the box to sweep home a finish into the top corner when the home defence was simply observing.
His second was a cuter finish. After latching onto a pass from Granit Xhaka after the hosts had lost cheap possession in midfield, he showed strength to hold off a defender then a clear head to clip a deft finish over Ilan Meslier and into the goal.
If Arteta had any lingering doubts over his squad’s capability to replace Aubameyang’s goal scoring contribution, this was a match that must surely have gone some way to easing these.
Furthermore, since the former captain was dumped, the Gunners have won three games from three, guaranteeing themselves a spot in the Champions League places before kick-off.
Although Arsenal legend Martin Keown argued that a door must be left open for Aubameyang to return to the fold at some point, it increasingly appears that the team is quite simply better off without him.
