Former Leeds striker Noel Whelan has warned Gabriel Martinelli that he could lose his place in the starting eleven against Wolves. Whelan, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, claimed Emile Smith Rowe and Bukayo Saka will keep their places in the Gunners lineup.
Martinelli was sent off against Wolves and has now served his one match suspension. He’s now available to play in the return fixture at the Emirates Stadium. However, replacement Smith Rowe netted a sumptuous second-half strike to open the scoring against Brentford.
MARTINELLI HAS TO COMPETE FOR HIS SPOT
Speaking post-match and quoted by football.london, Mikel Arteta hinted he may make his decision based on how the pair train this week.
When asked if Martinelli could come straight back into the Arsenal side, Whelan told Football Insider‘s Ewan Kingsbury:
“I don’t think so.
I don’t think you can ever change a winning side going into a game like this.
He’ll have to bide his time and wait for his chance. It’s unfortunate, but it’s the way of the world in football.
If they’d have drawn against Brentford then Arteta would have had more food for thought, but with Smith Rowe and Saka scoring – I think they’ll keep their places.
It’s a crucial game now as well because Wolves are right up there and have some games in hand, they could easily leapfrog Arsenal.
You can’t change a winning side, but what a plus it will be to have Martinelli on the bench against a side who are going to push you all the way in the fight for that fourth spot.”
ARSENAL’S TRICKY DOUBLE
Arsenal sit four points adrift of Manchester United. The Gunners are currently 6th but have also played three less games. Arsenal will want to win their games in hand and make the Champions League spots.
Wolves, who are just 2 points behind Arsenal having played a game more will also look for revenge. The side from Molineux had lost the last encounter between the two a few days ago. Bruno Lage’s side will hope to prevent Arsenal’s double over them. Wolves are also in contention for the top 4 spots and a win will see them leapfrog Arsenal and West Ham to the 5th spot.
This match is essentially a six-pointer. The winners not only get three points and go ahead but they also make sure that their rivals for the top four spots do not progress in the table.
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