Rice praises Martinelli after stunning equaliser vs Man City
Following Sunday’s clash against Manchester City, Declan Rice was full of praise for Gabriel Martinelli. Despite his midweek heroics, Martinelli still found himself on the substitutes bench against City. Just like he did against Athletic Club a few days earlier however, the Brazilian came off the bench to score a crucial goal for the Gunners. […] The post Rice praises Martinelli after stunning equaliser vs Man City appeared first on Just Arsenal News.
RR aka Rishi-Raj
Following Sunday’s clash against Manchester City, Declan Rice was full of praise for Gabriel Martinelli. Despite his midweek heroics, Martinelli still found himself on the substitutes bench against City. Just like he did against Athletic Club a few days earlier however, the Brazilian came off the bench to score a crucial goal for the Gunners. His 93rd-minute equaliser sent the Emirates into a frenzy and ensured Arsenal did not come out empty handed in what was a fairly frustrating watch on a personal level.
Rice hails Martinelli’s decisive finish
Speaking to Arsenal media after the game, Rice described the finish as “unbelievable.” Discussing the impact Martinelli had on the team, he said:
“When you come off the bench, at that point of the game, 60, 70, 80 minutes, the game’s a completely different game to the start of the game,” he continued. “The game’s opened up, it’s more stretched, and for players like Gabi, they’re unbelievable when they do start. But when they come on, their strength, which is their pace, their dribbling, helps them massively because there’s so much space, and in the end, that run and finish, was unbelievable. We fully deserved it.”
Martinelli’s growing influence
His run and finish were also reminiscent of the way he got in behind Athletic Club’s defence last week. The winger was picked up through the middle of the pitch as he timed his runs to perfection. Although there is a very big difference in terms of the finishes, both goals carried striking similarities.
It raises the question of whether a more central role could suit Martinelli in the future. He excelled in that position during the early days of his Arsenal career, but has rarely featured there since. A positional tweak might unlock even more from him, but that is a debate for another day.
For now, Martinelli is on a two-game scoring run and will be pushing to start matches more regularly as a result.
What did you make of his second-half cameo? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Benjamin Kenneth
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The post Rice praises Martinelli after stunning equaliser vs Man City appeared first on Just Arsenal News.
