Alan Smith column: Mikel Arteta must pick Gabriel Martinelli for physical Leeds test

Gabriel Martinelli
Raring to go: Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli is available for selection against Leeds
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
Alan Smith12 February 2021

Though it goes against the image of today’s sophisticated, highly tactical game, some very basic instructions never go out of fashion. Run around, put yourself about, don’t let your opponent work harder than you.

You might hear these directives yelled down the park on a Sunday, but they also remain fundamental at the very highest level. If you don’t put it in, cover the hard yards, even the richest talent can disappear down the plughole. Without wishing to go over old ground, Mesut Ozil sadly became an example of that.

I only mention this because Leeds are coming to town. Yes, Leeds — the newly-promoted side sitting comfortably in mid-table after being battered by some and thrashing others. If ever there were a necessity to work incredibly hard, Marcelo Bielsa’s side demand that from opponents.

Rarely have a team down the years run around so much. They never stop, just keep on going to test your fitness and appetite. Nothing complicated here. If Mikel Arteta’s players can match Bielsa’s for sheer hunger, their superior quality should eventually shine through.

Mind you, that’s not to say Leeds don’t have talent of their own. Raphinha, for example, is purring. The Brazilian is making his job look easy with a silky touch and keen football brain. With Kieran Tierney missing again, Raphinha’s tussle with Cedric Soares could be one to watch. Handling the in-form Patrick Bamford might be another key point. Twelve League goals at this point is far from shabby for a striker who has in the past needed too many chances to score. But the way he casually took his opportunity against Crystal Palace on Monday speaks of a player on top of his game.

For Arteta, then, team selection becomes crucial in trying to counter this unique challenge. Who wants to run? Who wants to fight? Just one idle attitude can topple the house of cards at a time when Arsenal badly need a morale-boosting win. For that reason, I would go with the energy of Gabriel Martinelli rather than the laid-back style of Pepe who, for all his improvements, does not react quickly enough when Arsenal lose the ball.

Getting back into shape must happen pretty sharpish against rampaging visitors.

At Elland Road in November, Arsenal somehow escaped with a goalless draw after Pepe had stupidly got himself sent off. That came at the start of a desperate run when defeats kept on coming throughout December. Arteta cannot afford anything remotely similar. This time, Leeds must mark the beginning of something much better.

Crystal Palace v Burnley (Saturday, 3pm)

Getty Images

This is familiar territory for Palace. Safe from relegation but unlikely to clamber out of that group just above the drop-zone. This is no-man’s-land, where the main aim is trying to improve on last season. That means beating 43 points — not out of the question for a team on 29 with 15 games left. Palace are a better team now, certainly going forward after Eberechi Eze’s arrival. Burnley might also help here, seeing as they have scored fewer goals than anyone in the top flight on their travels this season. The one reservation is the absence of Wilfried Zaha. Without him, the Eagles have lost 17 of their last 19 League games, failing to score in all but two of those defeats.

Manchester City v Tottenham (Saturday, 5.30pm)

Getty Images

I wonder how Jose Mourinho will react to that 5-4 defeat by Everton. Revert to type, perhaps? Try to shut up shop like he recently tried against Chelsea? Well, we know how that turned out. Mourinho might argue his players proved at Goodison Park they are not good enough to play open, expansive football. The approach leads to mistakes that end up costing the game. There is no doubt Spurs are making too many errors, with Hugo Lloris more guilty than most. It would be a big call to leave out the club captain, especially as the back-up does not totally convince. That said, picking Joe Hart to face his old club might appeal to a manager searching for ideas.

Everton v Fulham (Sunday, 7pm)

POOL/AFP via Getty Images

With an eight-point gap between them and safety, this is do or die for Scott Parker’s team. Draws are no good. They have had nine already. It is time to go for broke before the situation turns hopeless. To achieve any success, Fulham must find some composure when it comes to picking the final pass or having a crack at goal. That poise was missing in the goalless draw with West Ham. On too many occasions, they chose the wrong option or snatched at a chance. To be fair, that usually happens in this predicament. The brain becomes fuddled at the vital moment. So something must change in the next few weeks. If it does not happen at Everton, games against Burnley, Sheffield United and Crystal Palace offer a final chance.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in