Mikel Arteta says raves about 22-year-old Arsenal player after Forest win

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Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta admitted that he was really disappointed with Gabriel Martinelli in the game against Monaco almost two weeks ago, but he was really impressed with him today.

The Gunners picked up a 2-1 win over Nottingham Forest this evening to kick start their Premier League campaign. Eddie Nketiah and Bukayo Saka scored the goals, but it was Martinelli who really caught Arteta’s eye.

Mikel Arteta praises Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli

Gabriel Martinelli looked like a man on a mission for Arsenal today.

The Brazilian didn’t see too much of the ball in the very early stages of the game, but every time the Gunners moved their possession to the left side of the pitch, he looked sharp.

Martinelli looked extremely hungry every time he was on or near the ball. His incredible run and outrageous bit of skill took two Forest defenders out of the game, and that led to Nketiah’s opener.

The 22-year-old continued to work tirelessly and was one of the best players on the pitch today. It was a very different performance compared to the one against Monaco a couple of weeks ago, and Mikel Arteta made it a point to mention that in his press conference after the win.

When asked about Martinelli, he said, as quoted by Football London: “I saw today that I really liked and I didn’t like so much when we played Monaco two weeks ago is that when he gave the ball away how he tracked back.

“This is the defining moment because when Gabi’s doing that backwards then forwards, he’s one of the best players and one of the most dangerous. When plays a different rhythm, no!”

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Martinelli has to be at his best to keep his place in this Arsenal side.

Leandro Trossard had an incredible pre-season, scored the all-important goal in the Community Shield, and looked fantastic when he came on for the Brazilian today.

We think Martinelli has done enough to keep his place, but if he has an underwhelming performance like the one against Monaco, Arteta will likely drop him.

Arsenal take on Crystal Palace next, and it will be interesting to see how Martinelli will fare.