Fabian Hurzeler was the first to accuse Arsenal of winning ugly against Brighton & Hove Albion. He insisted that the Gunners display was certainly not football as he understands it. But Mikel Arteta won’t care. After all, it was the football that perhaps only champions-elect will understand.
At this stage of the season, with just eight games to go for Arsenal, elegance does not matter. Results are the priority and as Manchester City crumbled against Nottingham Forest, the Premier League leaders stood firm under pressure at the Amex.
Even as the Gunners went seven points clear, however, it was once again a difficult evening for Viktor Gyokeres, who is becoming more and more frustrating to watch in an Arsenal shirt.
Gyokeres’ inconsistency is becoming a problem for Arsenal
After becoming the bane of Tottenham Hotspur’s existence a week and a half ago, it looked as though Gyokeres had eased any concerns about his starting place under Arteta.
He was the physically dominant, clinical finisher that Arsenal believed they’d spent £63.5m on in the summer to take his Premier League goals total to ten for the season.
One week later though, it’s back to square one. The Swede barely laid a glove on Brighton’s backline and it’s becoming clear that he is not a player who will work himself into games. When his teammates are struggling, Gyokeres has been kept all too quiet in his debut campaign.
At the Amex, the big-money forward was rightly hooked for Kai Havertz just before the hour mark after taking just three touches in the Brighton box and winning none of his eight duels. It was a weak display when Arsenal needed a strong, intelligent hold-up player that Havertz became when he entered the fray.
It would be harsh to pinpoint Arsenal’s attacking struggles on the forward alone, however. Once again, the Gunners were left with no choice but to fall back on their defensive record.
Arsenal star showed why he must be sold after Brighton
There have been a lot of positives at the Emirates since the arrival of Andrea Berta. The sporting director splashed the cash with a fair amount of success last summer and has Arsenal on course to become champions as a result.
Alas, what the sporting director is yet to do is solve the Gunners’ selling problem. Their biggest sale is still Folarin Balogun, who left for £35m to AS Monaco in 2023.
Arsenal’s most expensive sales of all time
A look at the Gunners’ record departures in their history.
That simply must change and should start with the sale of Gabriel Martinelli this summer. The Brazilian’s Brighton display should be the final straw for Berta and after losing his starting place, he could do with a move away himself.
|
Gabriel Martinelli vs Brighton |
Stats |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
60 |
|
Passes |
3 |
|
Dribbles |
0/2 |
|
Touches in opposition box |
1 |
Gyokeres’ struggles at Brighton begin to make sense when taking a closer look at those around him. Martinelli completed just three passes in the 60 minutes that he played and failed to complete a single dribble. It was as ineffective as he has been for the majority of the campaign.
Now is the time for those in North London to cash in and finally make a profit on one of their struggling stars. The wide man is still just 24 years old and could yet leave in a big-money deal, making room for an instant upgrade at the Emirates.
Given that Leandro Trossard is now 31 years old, that left-hand side could become a problem for Arsenal if they’re not careful. And it’s not one that Martinelli looks likely to solve.
Reportedly valued at around £51m, the sale of the latter and the subsequent addition of a long-term upgrade in that area should be among Berta’s priorities this summer.
He’s a monster: Arsenal look like they’ve signed a Rice & Gabriel hybrid
Arsenal were brilliant defensively as they beat Brighton 1-0 on Wednesday night.
