Mikel Arteta has been told to consider dropping Gabriel Martinelli for Wednesday's clash with Manchester City.
The two title protagonists will square off for the first time in the Premier League this season when they meet at the Emirates. Arsenal have picked up one point from their last two games, meaning a win for Pep Guardiola's side will see them go top, albeit having played a game more.
Arsenal's young squad has captured the imagination this term, surpassing all expectations. Martinelli has been among those to grab the headlines with his performances, but fans haven't seen the best of him for several weeks. Meanwhile, January signing Leandro Trossard came off the bench to score his first goal for the Gunners in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brentford.
Shaka Hislop, who previously played in England's top flight, believes Arteta may have to give the Belgian a chance from the start, which would mean leaving Martinelli on the bench. He told ESPN : "I don’t think Gabriel Martinelli has been great lately. When he has come on, Leandro Trossard has had an impact. So, if you’re Arteta, I think the time is right to think, 'Well, do I now play Trossard from the very start?'.
"Now, Martinelli is quick, and defences coming up against that kind of pace, you have to adjust just for that pure speed that Martinelli brings, but he hasn’t had much of an impact. He’s not been playing well and is struggling a bit. So, the easy change, I think, given the form of Trossard, given the fact that he’s finally got on the scoresheet for Arsenal, is that you have to play him from the very start."
Martinelli has long been a favourite of Arteta's, with the Brazilian recently signing a new long-term deal. He's scored seven times in the league this season, but the last of his strikes came in December against Brighton.
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Trossard made the switch from the south coast outfit to Arsenal last month after falling out with Roberto De Zerbi at the Amex. He's been restricted to cameos from the bench for Arsenal with the front three often set, but his performances are hard to ignore and Arteta handed out praise at the weekend.
He said of his new signing: "We need people who make an impact in the game and he has been really good since he joined. He scored his first Arsenal goal and it is a really valuable one. He is a player who is going to give us a lot."
Arsenal's draw against Brentford at the weekend came as a result of VAR failing to correctly identify an offside player in the build-up to Ivan Toney's goal. Arteta bemoaned the decision and Professional Game Match Officials Limited has since apologised for its failings.
