He Lost the Ball Every 2.5 Touches: Arsenal Star Just Proved He Can’t Start vs Wolves
Arsenal concluded their pre-season with a solid 2-0 victory over Lyon at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Although the performance was not as electrifying as their recent 4-1 win against Bayer Leverkusen, there were still numerous positives for Mikel Arteta to build upon.
One of the standout aspects was their effectiveness with set pieces. The north London side demonstrated their proficiency from corners, an area where they excelled during the 2023/24 season. This weekend, two corners taken by Declan Rice were converted by William Saliba and Gabriel, securing the win for Arteta’s team. They now face a brief six-day wait before their Premier League opener against Wolves.
Another encouraging development was Riccardo Calafiori’s debut for Arsenal, coming on as a second-half substitute for Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Given his limited game time, it seems unlikely that the Italian will start in the season opener. However, he is not the only player who might be expected to begin the season on the bench.
Riccardo Calafiori’s Cameo vs Lyon
Last week, it was announced that Zinchenko was changing his shirt number to 17. While this may not be a historic event, the Ukrainian has since delivered impressive performances, notably against Leverkusen and Lyon.
In midweek, the left-back confidently scored, sliding the ball into the net from the edge of the area after being set up by Kai Havertz.
On Sunday, Zinchenko continued his strong form, winning three of his four duels, completing 90% of his passes, and providing four key passes. It was indeed a commendable performance.
The former Manchester City player may have been concerned about his future with the arrival of Calafiori and Jurrien Timber’s return from injury. However, he now appears to be in line to start the opening weekend match against Wolves.
Calafiori, meanwhile, will need to wait for his chance. The Italian displayed some impressive moments, including a notable driving run forward in the midfield.
Though primarily a centre-back, the former Bologna player is expected to play most of his football at left-back, as he did in this instance.
Interestingly, it seems that the entire left-hand side of the team is still up for discussion. The question remains whether Gabriel Martinelli or Leandro Trossard will start.
Martinelli’s Performance in Numbers vs Lyon
Since the start of last season, Martinelli has struggled to find his form. During the 2022/23 season, the Brazilian was exceptional, netting 15 Premier League goals in 36 matches.
However, in the 2023/24 season, his performance declined significantly, with only six league goals. A key factor in this downturn was likely his competition with Trossard. The Belgian was in outstanding form at times last season, finishing with 17 goals—just three shy of top scorer Bukayo Saka.
When Trossard scored a superb goal against Leverkusen a few days ago, it seemed challenging for Martinelli to secure a starting position for the opening weekend of the new league season.
This difficulty was further confirmed when Martinelli struggled in the match against Lyon this weekend. Although Martinelli showed a positive attitude, frequently trying to get behind the defense, his first touch was unreliable and he had trouble controlling the ball.
This issue was particularly evident in the first half, when Martin Odegaard provided a well-timed pass for Martinelli. However, he was unable to overcome the defender, and the opportunity was lost.
Trossard’s ability to make decisive plays may give him an edge over Martinelli, making it likely that Trossard will be chosen to start next week.
Throughout his 78 minutes on the field, Martinelli made only 14 passes, which is two fewer than goalkeeper David Raya.
| Martinelli vs Lyon | |
|---|---|
| Touches | 35 |
| Accurate passes | 14/19 (74%) |
| Key passes | 4 |
| Crosses | 1/5 |
| Long balls | 1/1 |
| Possession lost | 14x |
| Shots | 2 |
| Dribbles | 0/2 |
| Duels won | 2/7 |
| Interceptions | 1 |
| Tackles | 2 |
| Stats Source: Sofascore | |
In losing possession 14 times, he gave up the ball every 2.5 touches. While Martinelli is known for his directness and willingness to take risks, he needs to improve his ball control. This issue was highlighted by his failure in both dribbling attempts.
Football.London’s Kaya Kaynak summarized his performance by noting that the winger still struggles to maintain technical quality when running at high speed consistently.
This will likely concern Arteta, who might consider relying on Trossard for the first gameweek of the Premier League.
In other Arsenal news, £32m Star Who Arsenal Wanted to Sell This Summer Suddenly Looks Crucial After Brilliant Display vs Lyon
