Okay, so that might have just been Arsenal’s third official pre-season friendly, but we can admit that losing a North London Derby always hurts.
Mikel Arteta’s side looked to continue their perfect record this afternoon, but Tottenham Hotspur had other ideas.
The Lilywhites scored in the first half, and while there were a few chances to draw level, the Gunners just did not look anywhere near as sharp as they have in the two games prior.
Unfortunately, several players stood out for all the wrong reasons, including one who was so underwhelming, he showed just why Andrea Berta needs to get Eberechi Eze to the Emirates before the Premier League season starts.
Arsenal's underwhelming stars
While there is no need to go in too hard on anyone in a pre-season friendly, there were more than a few starters this afternoon who’ll really need to bounce back in a significant way against Villarreal next week, such as Kai Havertz.
Performance in Numbers
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The German set up two goals for the team against Newcastle United in the last game, but was entirely ineffective against Spurs today, offering little to no threat as a goalscorer or creator.
In fact, the most notable thing the German did was take out Djed Spence with a sliding tackle after being nutmegged by Cristian Romero, and therefore more than deserving of the 5/10 match rating he received from the Standard’s Simon Collings.
Another player to get a 5/10 was David Raya, who was lobbed from the halfway line by Pape Matar Sarr after Myles Lewis Skelly lost possession.
It wasn’t just the goal, though, as the Spaniard looked off his game for practically the entire match and, as Collings put it, was ‘unusually shaky when trying to deal with set-pieces’.
However, there was another starter who really let himself down, someone whose lacklustre display only further made the case for why Berta and Co need to sign Eze as soon as possible: Gabriel Martinelli.
Martinelli's lacklustre showing against Spurs
Unfortunately, it really was a game to forget for Martinelli this afternoon, as while Bukayo Saka endeavoured to make something happen on the opposite flank, he failed to do much of anything.
In the first half, the Brazilian international failed to make the most of the space available to him and was easily dealt with by Pedro Porro.
Then, in the second half, as Spurs began to sit back more, he was completely unable to get past the Lilywhites’ low-block.
We weren’t the only ones disappointed with the former Ituano gem either, who took fewer touches than Raya, as Collings dished out another 5/10 rating for the 23-year-old, writing that it was a ‘quiet game’ for the winger.
It was his inability to have any discernible impact whatsoever in the second half that truly highlighted the need for a player like Eze this summer, as while the Crystal Palace ace spent most of last season in midfield, he’s also an accomplished and creative winger.
For example, in 32 appearances off the left for the Eagles, the 27-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by pundit Micah Richards, has scored six goals and provided six assists, which comes out to an average of a goal involvement every 2.66 games.
In contrast, the Gunners’ number 11 has scored 40 goals and provided 26 assists in 179 appearances there, which comes out to a worse average of a goal involvement every 2.71 games.
Appearances
32
179
Goals
6
40
Assists
6
26
Goal Involvements per Match
0.37
0.36
Moreover, he’s achieved those numbers in a team that have been challenging for the title over the last three years, whereas Palace are a mid-table side at best.
Ultimately, we aren’t saying Arsenal need to sell Martinelli, but the game today once again made it crystal clear that against a low-block, he’s incredibly ineffective, and therefore, Berta should be doing what he can to bring in Eze, as he’s got the creativity to help the club solve that problem on the left.
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