Lacazette out? Why Ljungberg must let Martinelli off the leash at Arsenal

Gabriel Martinelli had to wait until the penultimate minute of normal time to get on to the pitch at Norwich on Sunday yet he still almost provided the spark Arsenal needed to snatch all three points.

It was deep into stoppage time at Carrow Road when the Brazilian chased what looked like a lost ball towards the touchline right in front of Freddie Ljungberg’s technical area.

Yet, as he has done almost from the moment he has arrived at Arsenal in the summer, Martinelli made something happen.

The teenager shrugged off Emiliano Buendia to win possession and then drove down the left, leaving the Argentine trailing in his wake before putting in a cross that eventually fell for Lucas Torreira on the edge of the box.

Only a superb last-ditch block from Ibrahim Amadou prevented the Uruguayan firing home what would have be the winner.

"I’ve had the chance to meet many players, many young talents from several different countries, and Gabi has something different,” Gunners centre-back David Luiz said.

"I began admiring him for his work, mentality, his football, and his desire to learn every day. If he keeps it up, he will experience great things in football.”

Martinelli’s appearance at Norwich offered just a snapshot of what he can bring to this Arsenal team when he is on the pitch. But, for all his talent, Martinelli is finding game time tough to come by in the Premier League.

Indeed, his 89th-minute introduction at Carrow Road came a week after he was brought on in the 83rd minute against Southampton – in spite of the fact that the provided the assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s injury-time equaliser at the Emirates.

The 18-year-old has yet to start a league game since arriving in the summer. He has come off the bench six times, amassing a grand total of 84 minutes of playing time.

Is that really enough for someone who has scored seven goals in six starts in the Europa League and Carabao Cup?

Martinelli’s statistics this season are impressive. He averages a goal every 73 minutes and of the 18 shots he has attempted, 67 per cent have been on target.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, meanwhile, has scored 12 times since the start of the campaign, finding the net every 121 minutes, while Lacazette’s four goals have come at a rate of one every 147 minutes.

And it's the latter who finds himself at greatest risk from the emergence of Martinelli.

The France striker has struggled for form and fitness this season, scoring just twice since coming back from the ankle injury that ruled him out for six weeks earlier in the campaign.

He failed to make an impact at Norwich at the weekend and his away record on the whole since signing from Lyon in 2017 has been poor, scoring just seven times.

Indeed, since netting twice during the 5-1 win at Fulham last October, he has only scored one league goal away from north London, against Huddersfield.

For a forward of Lacazette’s quality, that is not good enough.

Of course, things are very different at Emirates, where Lacazette’s record is excellent, and as he showed last time out against Southampton, he can still be relied upon to get the goals Arsenal need.

Ljungberg will no doubt start the former Lyon hitman again on Thursday night against Brighton, with Aubameyang perhaps having to settle for a wider role – as he did at Norwich.

It would be a big call for Ljungberg to bring in the teenage Martinelli in favour of Lacazette so early into his role as interim boss, but the Brazilian has shown by his performances so far that it not an option that should be discounted, especially as his inclusion out wide would allow Aubameyang to move back into the central striking position.

"He’s a talent of the century; he’s an incredible striker,” Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp said of Martinelli last month.

“He’s really unbelievable. So young and looks so mature already; he’s a proper threat.”

There is no doubt Arsenal have landed a major talent in Martinelli. When he scored twice at Anfield during the 5-5 draw in the Carabao Cup, he became the first player to score on his first four Arsenal starts since legendary striker Ian Wright.

Martinelli has an eye for goal and never stops working. At a time when Arsenal look sluggish, his energy and drive could be just what they need to get themselves out of the slump they find themselves in.

He has proved he can do it in the cup competitions. Now it's time for him to be unleashed in the Premier League.