Unlike a lot of the sports media I thought Martinelli was shit on Tuesday, kept cutting inside when he’s got the pace and strength to take his man on and get in behind him. But it’s not entirely his fault, we’ve been set up to set up our attacks on the right hand side, Odegaard drifts right when he plays because he has a good understanding with Saka.

It’s why this bullshit inverted fullback thing doesn’t work, it largely was there to accommodate Zinchenko who lacks the pace or the defensive discipline to be a proper fullback. When Calafiori plays as a typical left back rather than this nonsense position you see more attacking opportunity on the left hand side and you see Martinelli look a damn sight more dangerous.

It also is preposterous that we play Rice at number 8 which a) he’s no good at and b) it’s an utter waste of his talent when he’s much better at 6.


What little I’ve seen of Merino in an Arsenal shirt doesn’t exactly feel me with confidence either, like Xhaka he’s good at long passing and unlike Xhaka he’s good at winning the ball back in our own half. But he doesn’t have the pace, strength or attacking instinct to carry the ball forward himself and in fact the only player that we have that does seem to do this is Partey yet Arteta insists on playing him at 6 where he doesn’t have the instinct to track his runner and put out fires the way Rice does.