Arsenal star who 'plays like a headless chicken' fails to solve Mikel Arteta crisis
Theo Walcott was proven right as Arsenal felt the absence of Bukayo Saka keenly in their Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg defeat by Newcastle.The Magpies picked up a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium to take a huge advantage going into the second leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final. Alexander Isak continued his brilliant form by pouncing on a loose ball from a long free-kick before Anthony Gordon gobbled up a rebound to double their lead.Gabriel Martinelli struck the outside of the post in the first half when one-on-one with Martin Dubravka and Kai Havertz sent a free header wide of the post from close range as Arsenal came up short. They will head to St James’ Park for the second leg on February 5 needing to climb a mountain if they are to reach the final at Wembley.Saka has nine goals and 13 assists in 24 games this season but is sidelined with a hamstring injury, passing the attacking burden to Martinelli, Havertz, Leandro Trossard and Martin Odegaard on Tuesday night. Martinelli scored in the 3-1 win at Brentford last week but lacked quality in his play against Newcastle.He was fielded on the left by Mikel Arteta, who opted for Trossard on the right, and the Arsenal manager was not rewarded. His miss when clean through in the first half was a key moment for Arsenal, who constantly saw their crosses into the box cleared by Newcastle’s stout backline.The match was watched by former Arsenal winger Walcott, who voiced some pertinent criticism of Martinelli before kick-off on Sky Sports. “I’ve said this because he’s a player that at times can be a bit like a headless chicken, I do feel like. I was sometimes head down. Use your strengths, which is his pace,” he said.“When you’re one-on-one, I get sick to death when players give it back to the full-back and expect him to do something. I’m like ‘You’re a forward player, you do that job, you do the gifts that god gave you that got you to become a professional footballer’.”Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images) Stuart MacFarlane/Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! What did you make of Gabriel Martinelli's performance? Comment below.Martinelli bombarded the box with crosses in the closing stages, but had no success. He finished the match with no shots on target from three attempts and failed to complete – or even attempt – a single dribble.Speaking last month after the 5-1 win over Crystal Palace, Arteta felt confident that Martinelli would step up to the plate with Saka unavailable. "He had a big impact in the game [against Palace] and like other players, everyone is going to have to add something else because Bukayo, who we rely a lot on, is not going to be with us," he said.“Gabi loves it. Gabi, you put him a challenge and he wants to do it today if he can. So, I think he's a player that likes responsibility, that likes a bigger role. So, again, it's for all of them up front to take responsibility now.”Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.
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