The young Arsenal star has explained how difficult next season could be for the Gunners as they prepare for the Champions League while battling for the title.
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has admitted the Gunners are preparing for the worst-case scenario in order to face Europe’s best in the Champions League.
The striker enjoyed his best campaign to date last season, scoring 15 goals and providing five assists as Arsenal narrowly missed out on their bid to win their first Premier League title since 2004. However, Mikel Arteta’s men managed to seal their Champions League return, finishing runners-up to secure qualification for a competition they had not featured in since 2017.
Martinelli insists Arsenal won’t just be there to even the numbers, but acknowledged the Gunners have realized they need to prepare if things go wrong on the pitch against the tournament’s top sides.
“I think we have to prepare for the worst, we have to prepare for the best teams and that’s what the whole team does,” explained the Brazil international. “I think we are ready for a new challenge.”
Many fans and pundits have suggested Arsenal’s league ambitions next season could be affected as Arteta’s side must juggle Champions League responsibilities and a title fight. Martinelli himself acknowledged the difficulty of more games in an already overcrowded calendar.
“It’s so important (the depth of our squad) because we have too many games in the season and the weather will be difficult,” he added. “We’re ready to go and it’s nice to have so many options.”
As Martinelli explained, Arsenal now have far more options to appeal to after some heavy spending both last January and this summer. Since the beginning of the year, Jorginho, Leandro Trossard, Kai Havertz, Jurrien Timber and the club’s record holder Declan Rice have arrived. All five are expected to play a big part in Arsenal’s efforts next season, although not all of the new signings have been greeted with much enthusiasm by Emirates fans.
Take Havertz: Many wondered what kind of role he would enjoy and questioned his abilities after spending three successful years at London rivals Chelsea.
However, Arteta heaped praise on the Germany international after scoring his first Gunners goal against the MLS All-Stars on Wednesday night.
The Arsenal boss said of Havertz’s versatility: “I think that’s still one of his main qualities. He gives us something special with his quality and his size, for example, he can be a target if we have to beat the press. “He’s currently playing in attacking midfield but I’m sure he’ll be used in different positions throughout the season.”
