Gabriel Martinelli has issued the perfect response to Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit after the Frenchman claimed the forward looked mentally and physically tired last month.
The young Brazilian faced some criticism in the weeks that followed the resumption of club football after the World Cup, despite Martinelli bagging goals on both Boxing Day and New Year's Day. Many felt he looked like a shadow of the player that Arsenal had on their hands during the first half of the season.
This led Petit to speculate over the Brazil international's fitness, as the ex-Arsenal midfielder explained how Martinelli may have also been suffering because of the way Mikel Arteta sets the Gunners up tactically.
Speaking to Compare.bet, Petit seemed almost sympathetic towards Martinelli as he claimed: "I'm not surprised that he's having a difficult time at the moment, he looks tired – mentally and physically. I would also say he has a tough time due to the tactical setup.
"With [Oleksandr] Zinchenko tucking inside to the midfield, he doesn't get the same support as [Bukayo] Saka does on the right side with Ben White."
At the time, Petit was not alone in his stance as many Arsenal fans were calling for Martinelli to be dropped in favour of January signing Leandro Trossard.
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It has since emerged that the two actually link up very well together, with Martinelli enjoying a remarkable run of form since Petit's assessment.
Five games have passed, with the 21-year-old scoring four goals in that time at varying stages of the respective games. He capped off a remarkable comeback win over Aston Villa with a strike that saw him begin his celebrations before he tapped the ball into the unguarded net.
A week later he netted the only goal of the game in what was a vital 1-0 win away from home at Leicester City before bagging a brace at home to Everton during the comfortable 4-0 win at the Emirates.
It was after that contest that Arteta hinted there is still more to come from Martinelli this term, particularly when he links up with team-mate Fabio Vieira who is yet to nail down a regular place in the starting line-up.
"I think relationships build in teams naturally," the Gunners boss explained. "He has even more chemistry with Fabio when you see them play. He’s building that with Leo and his confidence is high again and he’s in a good mood."
Up next for Arsenal is the first of their two-legged Europa League round-of-16 tie against Sporting CP in Lisbon, before the Gunners make the trip to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on Sunday aiming to maintain their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table.
