Gabriel Martinelli was missing from today’s training session as Mikel Arteta put his players through their paces ahead of Tuesday’s massive Champions League second-leg showdown with Porto.
The Brazil international picked up a foot injury during the 6-0 win over Sheffield United a week ago and was spotted using crutches when he watched his teammates beat Brentford at the weekend.
In the aftermath of the win at Bramall Lane, Mikel Arteta sounded optimistic that the winger would recover quickly from what he described as “just a cut” but it seems the issue is more serious than expected.
While the player won’t want to miss the upcoming international break with Brazil, who are in Europe to face England and Spain, the club will be keen to ensure the 22-year-old is available for the trip to Manchester City at the end of the month. Martinelli scored the winner in the reverse fixture in October.
Timber here too. No sign of Martinelli.
— Simon Collings (@sr_collings) March 11, 2024
In better news, Takehiro Tomiyasu is training today. The Japan international hasn’t played for the Gunners since the 2-1 defeat to Fulham on New Year’s Eve. He featured for his country at the Asian Cup but returned with another niggle that has sidelined him for a month.
Arteta is due to face the media later this afternoon when he’ll no doubt be pressed on what’s going on both fronts. His side needs to recover from a one-goal deficit if the Gunners are to qualify for the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2010.
Next few weeks are going to be massive!!!
Nice to have everyone back!!!
Let’s go Gunners!!!
The $ity game is really the make or break for the EPL; I really think we need to beat them, but at minimum a draw. Lose and I can’t see us winning the league. Equally the Porto game is for the champs league, but they all are from here…
Not enough $.. $$$$ity…
In fact, just make it all $$$$$$$
Don’t agree with you. That draw yesterday gives us some legroom. Even if we lose to City we’re only two points behind them. That can be overturned with one City draw somewhere. If we draw or win then it’s a fantastic result.
Forget about Liverpool: they will fall away.
Except is The Fat One really negative? Or just a contrarian? I certainly wouldn’t write Liverpool off. They were the better team yesterday, and maybe ought to have won in a game with thin margins. I agree that we probably need to draw at City, but a draw puts Liverpool back in the driver’s seat assuming they get a result hosting Brighton. Plenty of games left… but crazily the only sure way through is to win them all.
Can I be contrarian again? You’re factually wrong: even if we win all our remaining games Liverpool can still win the title on goal difference.
But, of course, that won’t happen.
The next weeks are rather going to be boring as fck.
Calm before the storm!
Ancient Arsenal scripture (written in Dennish) :
And he said unto them, “When the obese gooner becomes a positive force, the golden era shall unto us begineth”
The prophecy. It’s happening!! It’s actually happening!!!
This made me laugh!
Fatgooner will finally become a legend! Might even have a statue for him at the Emirates 🙂
😛
Also, “everyone back” looks like it means Tomi only just back in training, Timber certainly still a ways off, and we just lost Martinelli. Cuts on the foot don’t require crutches, unless this is an Arteta ploy to bamboozle the opposition.
Time for ESR…
Would love it but not likely.
I think Trossard on the left with Jesus reinstated in the middle.
Not too sure about that though! On current form and the way the team plays, I don’t think Jesus just walks back into starting 11 as our main striker. Of course, there are other options – bench Jorginho (unlikely imo) and move Havertz into midfield, or keep Havertz in attack and play Jesus on the left. I’d imagine we can expect Arteta to do the latter tomorrow.
Either way, these are some sweet problems to have. 🙂
Always end up with egg on my face using the phrase “no brainer” in relation to Arteta’s unpredictable and fluid tactics. But slotting Jesus onto the left tomorrow to add that chaos factor we’ll be missing without Martinelli does feel like a massive no-brainer…
jesus to replace martinelli on the left
Remember Jesus is a winger. Straight in on the left.
Off topic but Refs are so determined to make City the champions.
Yesterday’ Penalty incidence
And in our match against them at Emirates, two blatant red card worthy tackles by Kovacic but only a yellow given..it is forgotten because of the result but it is Sooooooo blatant.
How does the drop ball fiasco (a referee getting the law wrong, not just a questionable judgement) against Forest fit into your theory? It allowed Liverpool the chance–their only chance–to snatch a late winner. How does the decision not to give Havertz a second yellow fit into your theory? That was a correct decision, but surely it would have been easy to send him off. As for the Doku-MacAllister incident. If MacAllister were an Arsenal player, I would have demanded a penalty–he kicked him in the chest! But if Doku were the Arsenal player, I would have pointed out that… Read more »
Just to add to that, my most irritating aspect of televised games this season. Contentious moment happens (see Saturday’s Trossard penalty incident), commentator will immediately go “now they *are* checking this”, and seconds later we get the inevitable “check’s complete, no penalty.” VAR’s always been shit, but in past seasons a dodgy moment happens, and the ref would often be sent straight to the screen. I don’t know whether this is some new edict for the season or something, but quite why the VAR has become absolutely petrified of sending the referee over to the monitor is anyone’s guess. The… Read more »
Easier to cover up the massaging of results this way…
Refs, in general, are bad. All teams have their grievances. I don’t there’s any specific agenda against us. If you go to Liverpool boards yesterday, you will see all of them morning about Doku high boot and Odegaard’s handball against them as reasons to why Refs are against them. It’s just a fan thing.
Totally agree. Premier League referees don’t have an agenda, they are just useless.
Saturday’s two horrendous mistakes were not awarding us a stonewall penalty for the shoulder-pull on Trossard, and then not giving the second yellow to Havertz for the dive.
Ooh look, Tomiyasu is back in time for the international friendlies 🙄
I, too, was born in 1973. A good year.
Start Jesus on the left. The fact he has a scary pedigree in this competition + an inform Havertz should give the Porto defence enough to think about.
I’d start:
Raya
White-Saliba-Gabby-Zinny
Partey-Rice
Saka-Odegaard-Jesus
Havertz
Yes, Partey over Jorgs (if he’s fit, as we need to be wary on the break – Porto can counter). But maybe this is too much for Partey? If so, Jorgs it is.
I’d also play Zinny over Kiwior here as his possession game will be a difference maker. Hopefully Zinny is fit – no indication here.
I love Partey, but he is not fit enough yet. I’d also start Eddie on the left, but otherwise agree.
I assume there will be a closed-door game or even two before we play City. I think that means Gabriel Jesus, Zinchenko, Vieira, and Partey are ready by then and maybe Tomiyasu too. Martinelli, if he is fit, is already match fit. Which I think means everyone apart from Timber.
I don’t know if we will beat City at the Etihad, but I am sure that we can. Not a mismatch, not a desperate hope for a bit of luck. Just as we saw yesterday at Anfield, two excellent teams each capable of winning.
It is the international break so most players will be getting plenty of game time.
I don’t look forward to the match tomorrow. A team from Portugal with a lead from the home game?
I’ve seen it with Benfica once against my local team ( not Arsenal ), it was a timewasting at a level that even embarrased portuguese journalists. If we don’t get a quick two goal lead, i expect less than 45 minutes playing time.
Last time we faced Porto, they won the first leg 2-1 in Portugal.
We won the home leg 5-0.
I was lucky enough to be there that night in 2010. It was the night of the Lord Bendtner hat trick. He always had a knack of being popping up in the right place; but that night he added the ability to stick them away too.
Bendtner never achieved the potential that others (not to say he himself) saw in him. But that night almost elevated my protective fondness for him.
His interview with Blogs in 2020 only added to that fondness for his character and poignancy for the footballer he could have been.
The loss of Martinelli is a big blow to our attacking dynamics. He’s a more accomplished finisher than the alternatives despite his preference for assists. A better 1vs1 magician, better situational awareness and more in sync to with attacking midfielders than the available alternatives. I remember watching him go down and thinking ‘oh no no no, we cannot afford to lose him at this stage’. The way he sat down, the way he signaled for substitution and the fact that he had to be carried out suggested more than ‘a small cut’……perhaps even a pre-existing niggle that got exercerbated. I… Read more »
Fair dos. If you held your breath until March 31st you’d end up feeling pretty unwell.
In Martinelli’s absence, I guess Arteta is going to start Trossard, as he did against Brentford. This was not 100% successful, Arsenal’s left side was quiet through the game.
Porto played a very high defensive line at home. I assume they might do the same at Emirates (as this is the best plan they can hatch). This might open the door for someone like Eddie Nketiah, who could threaten this space with his speed.